ULI announces 14 finalists for 2010 Awards

Fourteen developments have been selected as finalists in the Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Awards for Excellence: Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) competition, widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition programme.

The competition is part of the Institute's Awards for Excellence programme, 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.

The 2010 finalists were selected from 43 entries from 17 countries. The winners of the competition will be announced on 28 June at ULI Europe's Trends Conference in London.

The finalists (developers in parentheses) are:

Beursplein (Multi Vastgoed) Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Beursplein is a large-scale, multi-use urban development in the heart of Rotterdam with a below-ground pedestrian concourse, the Promenade, a 300m sunken shopping gallery with more than 60 new shops; connecting existing but distinct shopping and market districts on either side of the city’s main thoroughfare, the Coolsingel, and improving the area around the busy Beursplein Metro station.

Cabot Circus, (Bristol Alliance, a joint venture between Land Securities and Hammerson), Bristol, UK
Aiming to re-establish the city of Bristol as the regional capital of South-West Britain, this retail-led mixed use project was completed in collaboration with the City Council to deliver new public realm spaces and 140 new shops across a 16-hectare site, integrated into the city streets.

Citilab (Fundació per la promoció de la societat del coneixement) Barcelona, Spain
Citilab is a centre for social digital innovation near Barcelona, based in what was a textile factory abandoned after the last industrial crisis. The 5000 m² development is in the middle of a neighbourhood undergoing major urban renewal and leases 1000 m² to local start-up companies and a further 1000 m² to local entrepreneurs and community associations. Citilab operates as a mix of a training center, research center and business and social incubator.

Dickens Heath Village Centre, (Parkridge Holdings), Solihull, UK
A 4.5-hectare mixed-use development in the heart of the Solihull countryside designed to be a living village rather than ‘just’ a housing estate. Dickens Heath features residential, commercial, community and leisure uses in a development sensitive to its rural surroundings and incorporating a nature reserve and village green.

ENER[GIE]NGER (Wilhelm Gienger Verwaltungs GmbH) Munich, Germany
A one-of-a-kind retail showroom, the geometry of a ‘band-spiral’ creates a unique tunnel-like area. The spiral begins at the entrance of the Fa. GIENGER showroom at the east of the building by means of a wide open projecting roof. The core of the retail exhibition hall includes an ‘educational energy trail’ – an exhibition of current installations and equipment belonging to the energy-saving sector.

Eos Generali, (Bouygues Immobilier), Paris, France
This stand-out office building, which combines innovative architecture with a prime location by the Seine, is the European and French headquarters for Microsoft and Lunbeck labs and the largest sustainable development delivered to date in the Paris region.

Istinye Park (Orta Gayrimenkul Yatirim Yonetimi A.S.) Istanbul, Turkey
Istinye Park is a retail and entertainment destination adjacent to mid-rise residential neighbourhoods. The project consists of three conceptually and architecturally distinct elements – a grand central entertainment rotunda, an open-air lifestyle center and a glass-roofed indoor retail area – combined into one multifaceted omnicenter.

Mumuth Music Theatre (BIG Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft m.b.H) Graz, Austria
Mumuth Music Theatre is part of a facility designed for the University of Music and Performing Arts (KUG) in Graz used by students and visitors to the theatre. The innovative ‘Blob-to-Box’ model used by architects UNStudio includes a spiral design creating column free public spaces, amongst the theatre, high-tech acoustic laboratory and restaurant areas.

New District "Miasteczko Wilanów" (Prokom Investments with IN-VI Investment Environments development consultant) Warsaw, Poland
Miasteczko Wilanów (MW) is the ongoing construction of a coherent neighbourhood on 169 hectares within the boundaries of the city of Warsaw. A city shattered in the 20th Century by two wars, over the last two decades Warsaw has too often been developed in an opportunistic, short-term and incoherent way. MW is a long-term project, a mid rise, mixed use, socially inclusive, architecturally rich, street and pedestrian oriented district now home to a community of over 20,000 residents.

Opernturm (Tishman Speyer) Frankfurt, Germany
Built on a long-time space of fallow land at the prominent Opernplatz in Frankfurt/Main, a former crisis symbol of the German office market, Opernturm is now a sought-after, prestigious address as an exclusive, valuable and sustainable office skyscraper. The office spaces are characterized by a high level of flexibility together with spatial column-free office space and energy efficiency, LEED Gold certification.

Palazzo Tornabuoni (Byrne Murphy at Kitebrook Partners and Jacopo Mazzei at R.D.M. Real Estate Development) Florence, Italy
Palazzo Tornabuoni is a full city block (17,000 sqm) mixed-use project featuring Italy’s first Private Residence Club, luxury retailers, office and restaurants. Featuring a meticulous renovation and restoration of 15th century palazzo and its 15th, 16th and 17th Century artwork the conversion maintains strong links to the urban fabric of Florence whilst presenting many new features and amenities.

Valetta Waterfront (Viset Malta plc) Floriana, Malta
Today the Valetta Waterfront is a natural, all-weather port providing easy access to cruise vessels and new vessels under construction. Built on a 48,000 sqm previously derelict site that included quays, stores and wharves and the first ever power station to be built in Malta (now disused) the Government of Malta issued an international tender in 1996. Viset took over the management of the cruise and ferry operations from the Government in 2002 and has redeveloped it into an entertainment destination for local residents and cruise ship passengers that dock in the Grand Harbour. The waterfront includes two terminals, nine quays, state-of-the-art check-in facilities, ship repair and transport facilities as well as retail, dining and leisure experiences.

Yas Island Development (ALDAR Properties PJSC) Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
One of the largest mixed use developments in the world, 25 km2, with over 32 km of waterfront on the north-east side of Abu Dhabi’s mainland. The first ‘phase’ of development includes 7 hotels, major infrastructure and the Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit and related racing facilities, which has already hosted the Inaugural Formula 1(TM -trademarked) Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Zlote Tarasy (ING Real Estate Development) Warsaw, Poland
Zlote Tarasy is a landmark destination for Warsaw’s newest high-rise district, just south of the CBD, offering year-round shopping, leisure and social opportunities for Warsaw residents and visitors. Located on a 3.2ha site, a formally under-utilized parking lot, the project sits in front of the Central Railway Station, resulting in a 225,000 sqm mixed-use, transit-oriented development, which includes class-A office buildings above a multi-level retail and leisure centre currently visited by more than 1.6 million people per mon√th.