Five outstanding developments have been selected as winners of the 2009 Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence competition, widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program. The winners are: the American University in Cairo-New Campus, Cairo, Egypt; California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; The Rise, Vancouver, British Columbia; West Chelsea/High Line Rezoning Plan, New York City; and Zhongshan Shipyard Park, Zhongshan, China.
The 2009 winners were selected from 21 worldwide finalists, all of whom were winners in their region: The Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. The global awards jury evaluated these projects with additional criteria, including: innovative concepts that can be emulated around the world; strong urban design; response to the surrounding environment; and design that contributes to a livable, sustainable development that demonstrates relevance to the needs of the community.
The 2009 Global Awards for Excellence winners (developers in parentheses):
American University in Cairo-New Campus, Cairo, Egypt (AUC) The university’s new campus is located at the center of New Cairo City, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the current campus in downtown Cairo. It is designed to be a tool and stimulus in itself for learning and to anchor community development around the university. The 105-hectare (260-acre) virgin desert site has been developed into 200,000 square meters (2.2 million sq ft) of energy-efficient housing and academic, administrative, and student life facilities.
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California (The California Academy of Sciences) One of the world’s largest LEED-Platinum public buildings, the $488 million California Academy of Sciences houses an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and four-story rain forest. The 412,000 square-foot project, located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, was designed with the goal of preserving the natural habitats, species, and resources of the local environment.
The Rise, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Grosvenor Americas) The Rise, a mid-rise building adjacent to a rapid transit station, successfully mixes large-format retail uses, locally-focused stores, and 92 rooftop live/work units that surround a 20,000 square foot green roof. The building uses one-third less energy and two-thirds less potable water than required by Canadian energy code, while the design establishes a new model of mixed-use development in Vancouver.
West Chelsea/High Line Rezoning Plan, New York, New York (City of New York, Department of Planning) Using an innovative transfer of development rights (TDR) scheme, this plan has spurred the development of over 1,000 residential units and 2 million square feet of commercial space in West Chelsea. The defining feature of the special district is High Line Park---formerly an abandoned elevated rail line---which will become a 22-block-long linear park running through the district.
Zhongshan Shipyard Park, Zhongshan, China (Zhongshan City, Planning Bureau) Built on a dilapidated shipyard, the Zhongshan Shipyard Park is eleven hectares (27 ac) of reclaimed wetlands, restored shoreline, and landscaped park space that references its industrial past with salvaged docks and machinery. The design gives much attention to restoring leftover structures, connecting with the existing urban context, and environmental responsibility.
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