ULI Selects 27 Projects as Finalists in Global Awards for Excellence Competition

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has selected twenty-seven developments as finalists in the 35th annual ULI Global Awards for Excellence competition, widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program.

The competition — which honors real estate projects that achieve a high standard of excellence in design, construction, economics, planning and management — is the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of real estate development. From this elite group, the jury will select a smaller group of winners that will be announced in November during the ULI Fall Meeting in Chicago.

“From an impressive array of submissions, ULI’s Global Awards Jury selected 27 outstanding projects, each of which positively impacts its larger community — sometimes modestly, but often massively,” said jury chairman M. Leanne Lachman, president of real estate consulting firm Lachman Associates LLC in New York, N.Y. “The finalists span the globe, from South America to Asia, from North America to Europe, and we are particularly happy to share that diversity. All projects exhibit innovations in design, sustainability, adaptability to their surroundings, financial solidity, and provision of enjoyment to their many users. In one way or another, each finalist wowed the jury, which will make selection of the winners a real challenge.”

The finalists (developers and architects in parentheses) are:

• 1221 Broadway, San Antonio, Texas, USA (Developer: AREA Real Estate, LLC; Designer: Lake|Flato Architects et al) – Catalyst for nearby urban redevelopment through the adaptive reuse transformation of an abandoned housing project.
• 1315 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga., USA (Developer: 1315 Peachtree, LLC; Designer: Perkins+Will) – Sustainable adaptive reuse that generates an inclusive mixed-used development.
• 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (Developer: 21c Museum Hotels; Designers: Deborah Berke Partners et al) – Renewal of a downtown enclave with an innovative model pivoting on the integration of an art museum, and a hotel.
• Altmarkt-Galerie Dresden, Dresden, Germany – (Developer: ECE Projektmanagement GmbH & Co. KG; Designers: ECE architects et al) – Large-scale commercial development integrated in the historic city fabric.
• Amazon.com Global Headquarters, Seattle, Wash., USA (Developer: Vulcan Inc,; Designers: NBBJ, LMN Architects et al) – Multi building office complex project blending seamlessly into an emerging neighborhood.
• Calligraphy Greenway, Taichung City, Taiwan (Developer/Owner: Urban Development Bureau; Designer: AECOM) – Urban open space that generates a new dynamic district by reconnecting two neighborhoods.
• City Creek, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (Developers: City Creek Reserve, Inc., The Taubman Company; Designers: ZGF, FFKR Architects et al) – Private urban revitalization project through the commercial renewal of the city core.
• David Brower Center and Oxford Plaza, Berkeley, Calif., USA (Developers: Equity Community Builders LLC et al; Designer: Mithun / Solomon) – Mixed-use complex that provides a space for innovation and urban social integration.
• D-Cube City, Seoul, South Korea (Developer: Daesung Industrial Co., Ltd.; Designers: The Jerde Partnership; Samoo, et al) – Public district that integrates a new model for urban renewal and smart density, as well as mixed-use, transit-oriented development.
• Eco Modern Flats, Fayetteville, Ark., USA (Developer: Specialized Real Estate Group; Designers: modus studio et al) – Comprehensive rehabilitation and upgrading of an apartment complex.
• HafenCity Hamburg (New Downtown City district), Hamburg, Germany (Developer: HafenCity Hamburg GmbH; Designers: ASTOC, EMBT et al) – Implementation of a master plan that expands the inner city of Hamburg.
• Hysan Place, Hong Kong, China (Developer: Hysan Development Company Limited; Designers: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, HK Ltd, et al) – Sustainable office space introduced in a shopping district, articulating green spaces and enhanced productivity.
• Infinity Tower, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Developer: Yuny Incorporada and GTIS Partners; Designers: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates) – High-end commercial tower connected to the urban fabric of Sao Paulo.
• MacArthur Park Apartments Phase A, Los Angeles, Calif., USA (Developers: McCormack Baron Salazar, Los Angeles Housing Partnership; Designers: Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc. et al) – Transit oriented affordable housing providing a vital and safe public realm.
• Midtown Detroit, Detroit, Mich., USA (Developer: Midtown Detroit, Inc.) – Innovative approach to the revitalization of an inner city district.
• Puerto Venecia, Zaragoza, Spain (Developer: Eurofund Investments Zaragoza SL; Designer: L35) – Shopping and leisure development that generates a new sustainable destination.
• Roosevelt University Student Living, Academic and Recreation Center, Chicago, Ill., USA (Development Manager: Jones Lang LaSalle; Developer: Jones Lang Lasalle ; Designer: VOA) – Modeling the “vertical campus” in the city with an integration of classrooms, administrative offices, and sustainable student spaces.
• SMARTSPACE© SOMA, San Francisco, Calif., USA (Developer: Panoramic Interests,; Designers: Lowny Architecture et al) – Sustainable residential development utilizing an innovative prefab micro-apartment strategy.
• St. Joseph’s Senior Apartments, Oakland, Calif., UA (Developer: BRIDGE Housing Corporation; Designer: Van Meter Williams Pollack) – Historic landmark leveraged into an 84 unit affordable infill housing development for low-income seniors.
• Station Center, Union City, Calif., USA (Developer: MidPen Housing Corp. ; Designer: David Baker + Partners) – Mixed-use, transit-oriented city center development for mixed-income residents.
• Sullivan Center, Chicago Ill., USA (Developer: Joseph Freed and Associates, LLC; Designers: Harboe Architectset al) – Restoration and modernization of the Louis Sullivan landmark building.
• Superkilen, Copenhaghen, Denmark (Developer: Realdania & Copenhagen Municipality; Designer: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group) – Dynamic urban open space that weaves itself through one of the most ethnically diverse and socially challenged neighborhoods in Denmark.
• Tangshan Nanhu Eco-city Central Park Landscape Design, Tangshan, China (Developer: Tangshan Nanhu Eco-city Management Committee; Designer: Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning & Design Institute) – Mine reclamation project generating the largest urban central park in northeastern China.
• Territoria 3000, Santiago de Chile, Chile (Developer: Territoria; Designer: Handel Architects) – Complex land assembly that generates an iconic mixed-use block in the city.
• The Quayside Collection, Sentosa Cove, Singapore (Developer: Cityview Place Holding Pte Ltd; Designers: Axis Architects Planners Pte Ltd et al) – Mixed-used residential enclave developed as new waterfront lifestyle.
• UC Davis West Village, Davis, Calif., USA (Developer: West Village Community Partnership, LLC; Designers: Studio E Architects et al) – Mixed-use neighborhood developed as a zero net energy community.
• Via Verde – The Green Way, New York, N.Y., USA (Developers: Phipps Houses, Jonathan Rose Companies; Designers: DattnerArchitects & Grimshaw ) – Model sustainable and affordable housing adding to the revitalization of the neighborhood.

The competition is part of the Institute’s Awards for Excellence program, established in 1979, which is based on ULI’s guiding principle that the achievement of excellence in land use practice should be recognized and rewarded. ULI’s Awards for Excellence recognize the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design. The criteria for the awards include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnership, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability.

Over the years, the Awards for Excellence program has evolved from the recognition of one development in North America to an international competition with multiple winners. Throughout the program’s history, all types of projects have been recognized for their excellence, including office, residential, recreational, urban/mixed-use, industrial/office park, commercial/retail, new community, rehabilitation, and public projects and programs.

In addition to jury chairman Lachman, other 2013 competition jury members are: Glenn Aaronson, managing partner, Aevitas Property Partners; chairman, Forum Turkey Fund, Amsterdam, Netherlands; William Bonstra, partner, Bonstra Haresign Architects, Washington, D.C.; Michael Covarrubias, chairman and chief executive officer, TMG Partners, San Francisco, Calif.; David Dixon, principal, Goody Clancy, Boston, Mass.; Dr. Sujata S. Govada, managing director, UDP International, Hyderabad, India; Jason Hellendrung, principal, Sasaki Associates, Watertown, Mass.; Mark Johnson, president, Civitas, Inc., Denver, Colo.; Jeff Kingsbury, managing principal, Greenstreet Ltd., Indianapolis, Ind.; Jeff Mayer, director of international planning, Bassenian Lagoni, Newport Beach, Calif.; Jacinta McCann, executive vice president, AECOM, San Francisco, Calif.; and Trini M. Rodriguez, principal, Parker Rodriguez, Inc., Alexandria, Va.