California Academy of Sciences Among Four Winners of ULI Global Awards for Excellence
Newswire Services
November 06, 2009
California Academy of Sciences Among Those Honored
SAN FRANCISCO - Five outstanding developments – including the California Academy of Sciences -- 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 award winners, representing the world´s best cross-regional models in land use practices, were announced today in conjunction with the ULI Fall Meeting in San Francisco.
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 success.
The Global Awards jury panel was impressed by the innovative design of the California Academy of Sciences project, which was developed by the Academy. The project is a $488 million development that ranks as one of the world´s largest LEED-Platinum public buildings. It houses an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and four-story rain forest. The 412,000 square-foot project was designed with the goal of preserving the natural habitats, species, and resources of the local environment.
"The Academy is a dramatic rebirth of a facility that had fallen into disrepair," said Global Awards Jury Chairman Joseph E. Brown, Group Chief Executive of AECOM in San Francisco. "It is an extraordinary green building achievement that has retained much of the old building's qualities, while overlaying many new spatial and learning experiences." The decision to redevelop the facility inside Golden Gate Park, rather than move the academy offsite, helped greatly to solidify and revitalize the park, he added, noting that an urban strategy was implemented for the benefit of both open space and cultural facilities.
Greg Farrington, executive director of the California Academy of Sciences, said, "The California Academy of Sciences has always been dedicated to exploring and protecting the natural world, so it was crucial that our rebuilt facility be a model for sustainability. In addition to creating a home for powerful exhibits and programs, and valuable research collections, the building itself serves as an exhibit that we hope will inspire visitors from around the world to conserve and protect natural resources."
The 2009 Global Awards for Excellence 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.
According to ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips, the award winners illustrate that well-designed, well-built projects can thrive even in the most challenging of economic times. "These global winners showcase the best in creativity, innovation, and long-term thinking," Phillips said. "The ULI Awards for Excellence program is a timely reminder of the key difference responsible land use can make in terms of community longevity and sustainability."
The four additional 2009 Global Awards for Excellence winners are (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 (20 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.
>> 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.
>> The Zhongshan Shipyard Park, Zhongshan, China (Zhongshan City, Planning Bureau) Built on a dilapidated shipyard, the Zhongshan Shipyard Park is eleven hectares 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.
The 2009 Global Awards for Excellence winners were selected by a jury of renowned land use development and design experts. In addition to Jury Chairman Joseph E. Brown, other members were Richard Gollis, principal, The Concord Group LLC, Newport Beach; Ian Hawksworth, managing director, Capital & Counties, London; Raj Menda, managing director, RMZ Corp, Bangalore; and Marilee Utter, president, Citiventure Associates LLC, Denver.
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 was added in 2004 and in 2005, the ULI Awards for Excellence: Asia Pacific was added. 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: http://www.uli.org/awardsandcompetitions
The Urban Land Institute (www.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 34,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.
SAN FRANCISCO - Five outstanding developments – including the California Academy of Sciences -- 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 award winners, representing the world´s best cross-regional models in land use practices, were announced today in conjunction with the ULI Fall Meeting in San Francisco.
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 success.
The Global Awards jury panel was impressed by the innovative design of the California Academy of Sciences project, which was developed by the Academy. The project is a $488 million development that ranks as one of the world´s largest LEED-Platinum public buildings. It houses an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and four-story rain forest. The 412,000 square-foot project was designed with the goal of preserving the natural habitats, species, and resources of the local environment.
"The Academy is a dramatic rebirth of a facility that had fallen into disrepair," said Global Awards Jury Chairman Joseph E. Brown, Group Chief Executive of AECOM in San Francisco. "It is an extraordinary green building achievement that has retained much of the old building's qualities, while overlaying many new spatial and learning experiences." The decision to redevelop the facility inside Golden Gate Park, rather than move the academy offsite, helped greatly to solidify and revitalize the park, he added, noting that an urban strategy was implemented for the benefit of both open space and cultural facilities.
Greg Farrington, executive director of the California Academy of Sciences, said, "The California Academy of Sciences has always been dedicated to exploring and protecting the natural world, so it was crucial that our rebuilt facility be a model for sustainability. In addition to creating a home for powerful exhibits and programs, and valuable research collections, the building itself serves as an exhibit that we hope will inspire visitors from around the world to conserve and protect natural resources."
The 2009 Global Awards for Excellence 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.
According to ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips, the award winners illustrate that well-designed, well-built projects can thrive even in the most challenging of economic times. "These global winners showcase the best in creativity, innovation, and long-term thinking," Phillips said. "The ULI Awards for Excellence program is a timely reminder of the key difference responsible land use can make in terms of community longevity and sustainability."
The four additional 2009 Global Awards for Excellence winners are (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 (20 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.
>> 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.
>> The Zhongshan Shipyard Park, Zhongshan, China (Zhongshan City, Planning Bureau) Built on a dilapidated shipyard, the Zhongshan Shipyard Park is eleven hectares 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.
The 2009 Global Awards for Excellence winners were selected by a jury of renowned land use development and design experts. In addition to Jury Chairman Joseph E. Brown, other members were Richard Gollis, principal, The Concord Group LLC, Newport Beach; Ian Hawksworth, managing director, Capital & Counties, London; Raj Menda, managing director, RMZ Corp, Bangalore; and Marilee Utter, president, Citiventure Associates LLC, Denver.
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 was added in 2004 and in 2005, the ULI Awards for Excellence: Asia Pacific was added. 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: http://www.uli.org/awardsandcompetitions
The Urban Land Institute (www.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 34,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.
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