Five outstanding real estate projects from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) have been announced as recipients of the 2021 ULI Europe Awards for Excellence, with another two receiving 'Special Mentions'.
The winners, each of which demonstrate a comprehensive level of quality and a forward-looking approach to development and design, include two projects in the UK, and one each in Germany, Belgium, and Portugal. Further development projects in Greece and the Ukraine were selected as 'Special Mentions'.
The ULI Europe Awards for Excellence recognise superior development efforts across the EMEA region in the private, public, and non-profit sectors.
They are a regional extension of the ULI Global Awards for Excellence programme, which dates back to 1979. The five winning projects in EMEA this year will automatically be entered into the global awards for 2021, which will be announced at the ULI Fall Meeting in October.
Giancarlo Scotti, chair of the 2021 ULI Europe Awards for Excellence jury, said: 'In an extremely challenging year, these laudable projects demonstrate what can be achieved with great ambition and a flexible approach.
'The quality of the entries was extremely high, but the winners stood out as case studies that highlight some of the best initiatives around currently, particularly with regard to housing, sustainability, circular building, regeneration, and community building. We believe that they will prove valuable for ULI members and others in the industry to learn from.'
The winning projects are Edge Grand Central, Berlin, Germany (developers: EDGE; owners: Nuveen Real Estate; designers: Bolwin Wulf Architekten); Gare Maritime, Brussels, Belgium (developers: Extensa Group; owners: Extensa Group; designers: Neutelings Riedijk Architecten; Bureau Bouwtechniek); Harrow Square, London, UK (developers: Hyde New Homes / Barratt West London JV; owners: Hyde New Homes; designers: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill); LX Factory, Lisbon, Portugal (developers: Keys REIM; owners: Catumbel – Investimentos Imobiliários e Turísticos); and Wokingham Town Centre Regeneration, Wokingham, UK (developers: Wokingham Borough Council; owners: Wokingham Borough Council; designers: Benoy).
ULI said that all of the equal winning projects this year demonstrated key attributes related to flexibility, reuse and resilience in light of the challenges to real estate imposed by the global pandemic.
They were commended for becoming best practice examples in their respective areas of real estate, ranging from affordable and mixed-tenure housing; regeneration of industrial sites and community building; circular building with an emphasis on reuse and sustainability; and city/town centre regeneration.
Lisette van Doorn, ULI Europe CEO, said: 'Each year, the bar is set higher and higher in terms of both submissions, finalists, and winners.
'The winners this year showcased the ingenuity of all stakeholders involved in the projects across the EMEA region, including developers, city councils, designers and investors, establishing best practice examples for future projects.
'I want to thank everyone who submitted a design, and especially congratulate the winners and special mentions. We look forward to seeing how these projects continue to have a positive impact in their local communities.'
The jury formally recognised two further, former industrial projects with 'Special Mentions', namely Piraeus Port Plaza, Piraeus, Greece, in the repurposing category, and Promprylad.Renovation, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, in the social value / creative placemaking category.
