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HONG KONG (June 22, 2011) — Four exceptional developments have been selected as winners in the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Awards for Excellence: Asia Pacific competition, widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program.

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.

The winners were announced at the award ceremony at the Real Estate Investment World (REIW) Asia 2011 Industry Gala Dinner at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on 22 June 2011. ULI Asia Pacific, which serves nearly 1,000 members in North Asia and Japan, is a supporter of the event.

The four winners qualify for the ULI Global Awards for Excellence competition, in which a jury of international members will select up to five winners from this year’s winning projects in the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. The global winners will be announced in Los Angeles at the ULI Fall Meeting and Urban Land Expo in October.
The winners (developers and architects in parentheses) are:

• Mandurah Ocean Marina, Mandurah, Australia (Developer: LandCorp; Master Planner: Taylor Burrell Pty Ltd.): The 62-acre Mandurah Ocean Marina is an integrated development, mixing maritime, residential, commercial, and recreational uses. Built on a strip of underutilized state-owned land in Mandurah, Australia, the marina fulfills a thirty year community vision and has become an economic boon for the area.
• Marina Barrage, Singapore (Developer: PUB, Singapore’s national water agency; Architect: Architects Team 3): Marina Barrage is a dam that creates a freshwater lake in the heart of Singapore, creating a reservoir for drinking water, a tidal barrier to prevent flooding in low-lying areas, and a water recreation venue. The development—part municipal project, part educational facility— exemplifies Singapore’s approach to sustainable water management, collecting rainwater runoff from approximately one-sixth of the city-state’s area.
• Paddington Reservoir Gardens, Sydney, Australia (Developer: City of Sydney; Architect: Tonkin Zulaikha Greer): The site of a former water reservoir that was decommissioned in 1899, Paddington Reservoir Gardens—with sunken gardens and ponds, surrounded by a pre-cast concrete boardwalk—is the preservation of a “civic ruin” in Sydney, returning a site of heritage significance to use for the first time in 140 years and offering much-needed open space in a dense urban district.
• The Pinnacle @ Duxton, Singapore (Developer: Housing and Development Board, Singapore; Architect: Arc Studio Architecture + Urbanism/RSP Architects Planners & Engineers): The Pinnacle @ Duxton is a series of seven 50-story residential towers connected by two continuous and open skybridges. The sustainable residential project, with green roofs, sky gardens, and built using modular construction, is home to 7,400 residents—many of them young families—in 1,848 modern apartments, helping to redefine urban high density living in Singapore.

“The winners collectively provided good evidence and comfort that a global trend to inspire and challenge is alive and well,” said jury chairman Ross Holt, chief executive, LandCorp, Australia. “Each of the winners displayed both enthusiasm and scrutiny in designing civic facilities for all to enjoy, getting the best from master planning, better utilizing waterfront environments, and accommodating to the lifestyle of a changing population. The incorporation of all of these best practices help assure industry professionals that our development future is in good hands.”

The 2011 ULI Awards for Excellence: Asia Pacific winners were selected by a jury of renowned land use development and design experts. In addition to jury chair Holt, other jury members included: Albert Chan, director of planning & development, Shui On Development Limited, Shanghai; Mark Fogle, chief executive officer, Amur Capital Partners Ltd., Hong Kong; FUN Siew Leng, group director for urban planning & design, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore; Keith Griffiths, chairman, Aedas Limited, Hong Kong; Paul Husband, managing director, Husband Retail Consulting Ltd, Hong Kong; Hokyu Lee, chief executive officer, Level 5, Seoul; Tomohisa Miyauchi, director, ISSHO Architects, Tokyo; Rita Soh, director, RDC Architects Pte Ltd, Singapore; and Rocco Yim, executive director, Rocco Design Architects Ltd., Hong Kong.

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. The ULI Awards for Excellence: Europe (now EMEA) was added in 2004, followed by the ULI Awards for Excellence: Asia Pacific and the Global Awards in 2005. 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.

More information about ULI’s Awards for Excellence program is at uli.org/awardsandcompetitions

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (uli.org) is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.