Winners Announced at ULI Europe’s Trends Conference in Amsterdam

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AMSTERDAM (June 22, 2011) — Three exceptional developments have been selected as winners and a fourth highly commended 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 program.

The three winning developments include ENER[GIE]NGER (Munich, Germany), Perseo (Milan, Italy) and The Triangle Building at Wolverton Park, (Milton Keynes, UK). In addition to the three winning projects, KAUST, the King Abdullah University, (Thuwal, Saudi Arabia) was highly commended by the jury.

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 during the ULI Europe Trends Conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ULI Europe, which serves 2,000 members across Europe, hosted the conference as one of its many events that helps keep the region’s property financiers, developers, architects, lenders, public officials and other real estate professionals informed about the latest trends in the land use industry.

The three 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:

• ENER[GIE]NGER Munich, Germany (Developer: Wilhelm Gienger VerwaltungsGmbH; Architect: peterlorenz ateliers) – An office and retail development of 2.600-square metres opened in 2009 in Munich, based on the idea of an “energy spiral” which creatively allows light to move inside the building. The development places great importance on sustainability with a 250-square metre solar panel, and a combined heat and power plant for electro and thermal energy.
• Perseo, Milan, Italy (Developer: Galotti S.p.A; Architect: FGS Goring & Straja Architects) – A 16,000-square metre office development built in the Expo 2015 district of Milan on a previously undeveloped site, this building is the first Triple A standard in Italy, and is leased entirely to one tenant: Sole 24 ore
• Wolverton Park, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom (Developer: Places for People; Architect: RPS Group) – This historic former railway just outside Milton Keynes, has been redeveloped to provide 300 mixed tenure homes, alongside commercial space, community facilities and a 2.5-acre park. Three Grade II listed buildings stand alongside two new buildings which complement each other well and provide a variety of housing solutions for the local community.

The additional project that was highly commended by the jury is (architect and developer in parentheses):

• KAUST (King Abdullah University), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (Developer: Aramco; Architect: HOK) – Situated on the Coast of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia on a 55 million square foot campus, this university was established by an independent board of directors to contribute to scientific and technological advancement in the country. The project moved from conception to completion in only 30 months and combines the teaching campus with a business incubator and research park, being one of the first universities to do so.

The 2011 winners, selected from an impressive collection of entries representing countries across EMEA, demonstrate holistic urban design and sustainability principles, said jury chair Andrew Gould, chief executive, English business, Jones Lang LaSalle, London. “They represent some examples of tremendous innovation and thoughtful approaches to urban design and regeneration in retail, office, mixed-use, as well as education and civic uses.”

In addition to jury chair Gould, other competition jury members included: Max Barclay, head of communications and internal operations, Stronghold Invest AB, Stockholm; Luca de Ambrosis Ortigara, partner, DEA Real Estate Advisor Srl., Milan; Hakan Kodal, president and chief executive officer, KREA Gayrimenku/Real Estate, Istanbul; Raj Menda, managing director, RMZ Corp, Bangalore; Dr. Karsten von Koeller, chairman of Lone Star Germany ; Frankfurt.

Over the years, the Awards for Excellence program has evolved from 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.

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.