A HISTORY of landmark projects
The world’s most useful, sustainable and visionary projects
How can real estate make the world a better place? The MIPIM AWARDS has been showcasing the best answers to this question since 1991. Every year, the world’s most renowned real estate competition asks delegates at MIPIM to vote for the most innovative and visionary entries that have been shortlisted from hundreds of projects from across the globe. In doing so, the MIPIM AWARDS offers an extraordinary perspective on the defining trends at work in our cities and regions. The challenges explored by recent nominees include the integration of sustainable development objectives, an emphasis on shared spaces, adaptation to climate change, and integration of new uses. Congratulations to our shortlisted nominees, whose projects are already inspiring our industry to further consider how we shape our living environment, wherever we are in the world.
Nicolas Kozubek
Nicolas Kozubek Managing Director, MIPIMMIPIM AWARDS SINCE 1991
3500+ submissions
100+ countries
220+ awards
EDITION 2023
186 entries received
38 countries
43 finalists
“We reviewed over 180 projects and we saw some really promising progress in terms of sustainability on the majority of the projects. In particular, there were interesting trends amongst the development projects focusing on community building as part of the development.”
43 FINALISTS from 22 countries
Australia:
• P.34: Quay Quarter Tower
Belgium:
• P.7: Circularium
• P.41: Collegium
• P.10: Scholen Van Morgen
China:
• P.9: Roche Diagnostics Strategic Master Planning, China / USA / Spain
• P.13: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Guangzhou (HKUST)
• P.20: Shangri-La Shougang Park
• P.42: Hospitalment Yotsuya Daikyocho
• P.49: Shunde OCT Harbour PLUS | Shunde Joy Marina
Denmark:
• P.37: KB32
• P.53: Paper Factory Dalum
France:
• P.8: Deloitte University EMEA
• P.22: Havlog - Connecting flows
• P.27: Morland Mixité Capitale
• P.32: BIOME
• P.38: Métal 57
• P.51: Confluence – B1 C1 Nord
Gabon:
• P.58: La Baie des Rois
Germany:
• P.19: Lanserhof Sylt
• P.36: Betonsilo
• P.46: Atelier Gardens
• P.57: Four Frankfurt
Greece:
• P.18: NIKO Seaside Resort
Italy:
• P.39: Procuratie Vecchie
Japan:
•P.42: Hospitalment Yotsuya
Daikyocho
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
• P.17: Banyan Tree AlUla
Luxembourg:
• P.33: POST Luxembourg Headquarters
Poland:
• P.24: Panattoni Danfoss BTO
• P.29: Norblin Factory
• P.48: Norblin Factory
Portugal:
• P.52: Fuse Valley
Qatar:
• P.28: Msheireb Downtown Doha
Spain:
• P.9: Roche Diagnostics Strategic Master Planning, China / USA / Spain
• P.57: Bosque Metropolitano
• P.59: Parc De L’alba, Cerdanyola Del Vallès (Barcelona)
Switzerland:
• P.23: New Manufacture De Haute Horlogerie Audemars Piguet
The Netherlands:
• P.44: Sluishuis
Turkey:
• P.47: Galataport Istanbul
United Arab Emirates:
• P.12: Al Wasl Plaza
• P.15: The Museum of the Future
United Kingdom:
• P.14: Royal College of Art
• P.43: One Park Drive
• P.54: Roots in the Sky
United States of America:
• P.9: Roche Diagnostics Strategic Master Planning, China / USA / Spain
• P.25: Passaic Logistics Center
• P.31: 425 Park Avenue
BEST ALTERNATIVE PROJECT
Sponsored by
Circularium, Brussels, Belgium
In the old industrial district of Brussels, a former garage and car dealership complex has been enjoying a new existence as a focus for short-circuit retail and the cultural life of the capital since March 2020. Regenerated largely with the reuse of existing materials and with a new name, Circularium offers affordable workspaces and meeting facilities on a 2-hectare site.
Providing a new home for start-ups and events projects, the buildings
are powered mainly by electricity from on-site photovoltaic panels, and host 3,000m² of shared metalworking, ceramics and textile workshop space. To encourage as many local entrepreneurs as possible to use the new facility, its coworking spaces are free to use. Less than three years after opening, Circularium has already welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors. Occupancy periods, floorspace and ceiling height are all flexible, and can be extended if necessary.
Paying with thanks. The Circularium’s Magasin Gratuit (Free Shop) is a welcoming and sociable space offering clothes, books, home decoration, kitchen utensils and other products at absolutely no cost. Customers ‘pay’ for them simply by writing a Thank You note to their donors.
95% occupancy rate for this new facility opened in March 2020
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: 51N4E
• Project owner: D’Ieteren Immo
Deloitte University EMEA
Bailly-Romainvilliers-Val
France
Deloitte has chosen a quite exceptional location for its European training campus: a 15-hectare site on the edge of the Disneyland Paris golf course, in the Val d’Europe. With 30% of the site remaining as landscaped green space, this 23,000-m facility provides services for 500 of the Deloitte trainees every day.
Visitors arrive by electric shuttle on a single access road that runs through a forest to provide a calming transition between the urban environment and the luxuriant greenery of the campus. Powered by energy from renewable sources, created using sustainable materials, and air conditioned by geother-
mal technology, the centre boasts 36 seminar rooms, an auditorium and many outdoor facilities, including an artificial lake created with no recourse to purified drinking water.
1,100 m²
of photovoltaic panels meet 40% of the building’s energy demand
d’Europe,
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Dubuisson Architecture
• Developer: Nexity
Val d’Europe competed headto-head with more than 80 other European locations to win this prestigious development. It was the public transport network and expansive open spaces that ultimately persuaded Deloitte to opt for the Île-deFrance region, together with the simplified administrative processes made possible by the close partnership between developer Disneyland Paris and the French State.
Roche Diagnostics Strategic Master Planning, China / USA / Spain
For a fast-growing multinational company, establishing a presence in multiple countries demands faultless coordination; something which Roche Diagnostics, a division of the Swiss pharma giant, has been perfecting since 2014 through its strategic master plan. The vision set out in this plan is perfectly illustrated by the creation of three new facilities, each on a separate continent: Suzhou (China), Tucson (USA) and Barcelona (Spain).
Although their footprint varies considerably - 80,000 m², 50,000 m² and 25,000 m² respectively - all three investments achieve the same two goals: to create a global vision of collaborative workspaces, at the same time as achieving diversity of architectural styles. The arid climate of Arizona, the Classical Gardens of Suzhou (a UNESCO cultural heritage site) and the Mediterranean identity of Barcelona have all had a direct influence on the buildings created there.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (Suzhou), ZGF Architects (Tucson) and battleiroig (Barcelona)
• Developer: Roche Diagnostics
An ambition driven by energy. The facade of the Barcelona headquarters building is inspired by the concept of a sunshade, and its use of horizontal acetylated wood slats makes the building more energy efficient. The Tucson facility is powered 100% by renewable energy. And in China, the administration building has been awarded LEED Platinum certification; the highest level of environmental excellence.
Scholen Van Morgen Flanders, Belgium
Launched in 2010, the Scholen van Morgen (Schools of Tomorrow) programme has an ambition unprecedented in Europe in terms of the sheer number of its projects and their social impact. One of Belgium’s largest public-private partnerships, it has built 182 new schools in the Flanders region, with a combined footprint of 710,000 m².
Each of these new schools has its own distinctive - mainly architectural - features (one occupies a converted former monastery), but
all have one thing in common: their low energy consumption. This massive upgrading of the building stock has become essential, since more than half of all Belgian school buildings are at least 65 years old. Under the terms of the contract for this €1.5-billion programme, the new buildings are guaranteed to remain maintainable for at least 30 years. With the exception of one that is due to open this year, every one of these schools was completed and delivered between 2017 and 2022 with no budget overruns.
To ensure full societal integration, more than 80% of Flanders’ Schools of Tomorrow are open to local people outside school hours, which is helping to drive the economic revitalisation of their surrounding communities.
133,000 students now attend Schools of Tomorrow built since 2010
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Project owner: The Regional Government of Flanders
• Architects: 70 international architectural teams
• Developer: AG Real Estate and BNP Paribas Fortis
BEST CULTURAL, SPORTS AND EDUCATION PROJECT
Al Wasl Plaza Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The use of recycled materials was prioritised during the construction phase, as was the use of sustainable alternatives to traditional cement. This strategy reduced the construction CO2 emissions by 32%; a reduction equivalent to 21,770 barrels of oil.
More than 500 tonnes of steel, a 13,000-m² footprint, 130 metres wide and 67 metres high: the Al Wasl Plaza dome is one of the largest structures built for Expo 2020 in Dubai. This huge installation was designed to provide legacy benefits after the World Expo, and perpetuate its theme of Connecting Minds and Creating the Future.
During the day, its trellis dome provides valuable shade for the
terraced public garden. In combination with the other design choices made (wind circulation, low-emission paving, fountains and landscaping), this shading means that the temperature in the garden is 9°C lower than surrounding unshaded areas on average. But with nightfall comes a complete transformation. The 252 laser projectors focused on its dome transform Al Wazl Plaza to create the world’s largest 360-degree immersive projection experience.
100% of the plants in the Al Wasl Plaza gardens are grown in local nurseries, and 50% of the species used are indigenous to the region.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Adrian Smith
+ Gordon Gill Architecture
• Developer: Expo 2020 Dubai LLC
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) Canton, China
Established in 1991, the prestigious Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) was feeling decidedly cramped in the historic buildings it originally occupied on this densely populated peninsula. So in 2022, a new campus opened in mainland China at Guangzhou (formerly Canton) to attract local and international talent.
Low carbon and car free, this centre of learning and life space is totally integrated into its immediate surroundings of canals and wetlands. The architects have drawn inspiration from these natural surroundings to create solutions that prevent the risks of flooding and heatwaves by, for example, planting more trees to provide shade and therefore thermal comfort in the summer months. On-
site infrastructures also help to save energy: the heat generated by laboratories and datacentres is captured and used to heat 90% of the hot water used on the campus.
54% reduction in energy demand thanks to thoughtful building design and orientation
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)
• Developer: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
“The campus is envisioned as a living laboratory that will display its own real-time energy performance and the work being done by its researchers on air and water”
Jill Lerner, Principal at KPF
Royal College of Art London,
UK
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is one of the most prestigious institutions of the British university education landscape. Founded 186 years ago, it recently expanded its Battersea campus with the addition of two new buildings dedicated to innovation: the Rausing Research and Innovation Building and the Studio Building.
Both have been designed to reflect the RCA curriculum transition to include science, technology and engineering. The 15,000 m² of new modular workshops, studios and robotics research facili-
ties provide optimal experimental environments for its students. A 350-m² atrium connects the RCA to the street, is big enough to host events and vehicles, and conveys an openness to the outside world that is totally consistent with the work done here in areas that include smart mobility.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Herzog & de Meuron
• Developer: Royal College of Art
8 floors
That’s the height of the Rausing Research & Innovation Building dedicated to confidential research in robotics, materials science and virtual reality visualisation.
“The studio and research spaces are designed as communities in their own right to create an environment that encourages interaction between students, lecturers and other staff”
Herzog & de Meuron
The Museum of the Future Dubai, United Arab Emirates
While most museums exhibit relics of the past, Dubai’s Museum of the Future looks forward to 2071. Imaginative solutions developed by designers and artists have ensured that each floor of this 30,000-m² architectural tour de force plunges visitors into an interactive setting that shapes what tomorrow’s world might look like.
At 77 metres high, and dwarfed by its neighbouring gigantic towers,
the building adopts a circular form that represents humanity, with a central void to symbolise the uncertainty of the future. Designed to exploit maximum sun exposure, the project was designed using AI-driven tools to optimise the efficiency of the structure and its glazing. The facade - also designed in part using artificial intelligenceprovides the canvas for a poem in Arabic script. The giant letters act as windows to the interior, bathing it in natural daylight.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Killa Design
• Developer: Dubai Future Foundation
A visit to the Museum begins with a ride in a giant lift big enough to take 100 people; the equivalent of a double decker bus. Visitors emerge into surroundings designed as a space station of the future.
BEST HOSPITALITY TOURISM AND LEISURE PROJECT
Banyan Tree AlUla AlUla, Saudi Arabia
The oasis of AlUla in north-western Saudi Arabia has set itself the ambition of becoming a major tourist destination worthy of its rich history: people have lived here and travelled here for 200,000 years. The 5-star Banyan Tree AlUla resort does full justice to this incredible heritage in the way it integrates its structures into the natural landscape of the Ashar Valley.
This 10,000-m² Accor resort offers 47 tented suites, each with one, two or three bedrooms, whose interior design reinterprets the Bedouin way of life. Two finedining restaurants and a luxury
spa complete the facilities, while a swimming pool nestles in a natural cleft between the rocks. During times of heavy rainfall, water is collected to irrigate a series of micro-catchment gardens designed to support the natural vegetation of the site, at the same time as limiting the risk of flooding.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: AW²
• Developers: Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) in partnership with the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA).
• Consulting Engineers: EGIS
“The use of local resources, local craft objects and artefacts and naturally occurring minerals helps to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the project”
AW² architects
NIKO Seaside Resort Ágios Nikólaos, Crete, Greece
What do you do with a dilapidated hotel in a prime location on the shores of a beautiful bay which is irresistible to tourists? The rebirth of the Hotel Niko on the Greek island of Crete is a superb example of redevelopment in the coastal town of Ágios Nikólaos. Unveiled in April 2022, this luxury destination has opted neither for complete demolition of the existing building nor for a superficial upgrade. Precisely the right balance has been achieved by retaining the original structure, at the same time as increasing the usable floor area to 7,900 m² by optimising
the existing interior space. Externally, the wave-inspired new facade of this 5-star hotel blends seamlessly into its environment on the very edge of the sea. In addition to the infinity pool on the main terrace and the previously inaccessible rooftop pool, there are dozens of smaller and more exclusive pools on the resort’s private terraces.
7 suites are available to guests, in addition to 134 completely renovated rooms.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: 3XN
• Developer: HINES
The opening of the Niko Hotel has breathed new life into this area of Agios Nikólaos, and triggered a series of other renovation projects, including nearby shops. The local authority has also now given its commitment to upgrade the surrounding waterfront promenade.
Lanserhof Sylt List, Germany
Famous for its spa treatments, and a global market leader for its industry, Lanserhof Resorts has now arrived on the idyllic German island of Sylt in the North Sea. This new 68-room, 20,000-m² hotel occupies the highest point on the island.
Built as a military barracks in the 1930s, the central building provided the inspiration for a series of new structures, and nowhere more so than in
the choice of roofing material, because Lanserhof Sylt boasts the largest thatched roof in Europe to harmonise perfectly with the regional vernacular. Loggias incorporated in the thatched roof provide natural daylight, privacy and protection from the wind, creating a private outside space for each room. All rooms have panoramic views over the local harbour or the surrounding protected heritage landscape between the sea and the dunes.
14.3 metres
high and 2 metres wide these impressive dimensions belong to the five-storey free-standing circular staircase that leads all the way from the underground car park to the top floor of the building.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: ingenhoven architects
• Developer: LHS Grund 5 GmbH
Shangri-La Shougang Park Beijing, China
A5-star hotel in an abandoned steelworks? That was the challenge accepted by the Shangri-La Shougang Park hotel, 30 kilometres from downtown Beijing. This luxury complex overlooking the Yongding River retains the structure of the old industrial building, but replaces its facades with a
new and much more energyefficient glass skin.
This vast 54,000 - m² complex of 280 rooms achieves a subtle balance between industrial heritage and enhancement of the natural world, with internal planting of shrubs and trees on the ground floor to create the feel of an in -
door garden. With 1,400 m² of meeting space, 3 restaurants and a children’s play area, the Shangri-La serves not only the tourism market, but also the business travel segment in what is an extremely busy and popular location. The hotel opened in 2022 ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Lissoni Casal Ribeiro
• Developer: Beijing Shougang Construction Group Co., Ltd.
1971
That was the year in which Malaysian investor Robert Kuok founded Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, which now operates more than 100 luxury hotels worldwide.
BEST INDUSTRIAL & LOGISTICS PROJECT
Havlog Le Havre, France
This is the largest logistics facility ever built in Le Havre, and its dimensions are truly breathtaking: total footprint of 92,000 m² - equivalent to 13 football pitches - and more than 1,000,000 m³ of storage capacity. In addition to its gigantic size, this strategic import/export location makes the Havlog hub unique in Europe, because the site is connected directly to the Atlantic Corridor by water, rail and motorway.
This prime location in the Industrial Port Zone of Le Havre, France’s leading container port, has allowed Havlog to adopt a multimodal approach built around low carbon
technologies and sustainability, with solutions like the solar power plant installed on its roof. Offices (overlooking the Le Havre estuary) and employee spaces occupy around 2,000 m² of the site, which also offers its users a panoramic terrace.
37,000 m²
of photovoltaic roofing has a generating capacity equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of the two communities in which the site is located: Sandouville and Saint Vigor d’Ymonville.
Although the building was initially designed for division into separate rental units - 9 modular cells 11.6 metres high with 12,000 m² of floor space - it is currently leased in its entirety by home decoration and homewares retailer JJA.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Les Ateliers 4+
• Developer: PRD
• Financier: AG Real Estate
New Manufacture De Haute Horlogerie Audemars Piguet Le Locle, Switzerland
Like the luxury watches it creates, the new Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Audemars Piguet is an incredibly impressive piece of precision engineering. Constructed with a low profile hugging the contours of the hill on which it stands, the building integrates discreetly into the rolling landscape of the Swiss Jura. Every stage of fine watch creation takes place here, from research and development to machining, decoration, assembly and administration.
In the centre of the complex, a large meeting space known as the Piazza by its users, invites interaction, and has been designed as a
forum for informal contact, workshops and co-creation sessions. Customers and partners are welcomed to the new facility with a journey designed to give them an immersive experience that begins with the geography of the Jura region, and progresses to a presentation of the company’s exacting standards, before ending in the workshops to discover the precision engineering techniques of the fine watchmaker.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Kunik de Morsier
• Developer: Audemars Piguet
1875
That was the year in which Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet founded their business.
Audemars Piguet now employs more than 1,500 people worldwide.
The use of natural daylight throughout the Manufacture was researched and designed in conjunction with Marilyne Andersen, Professor of Sustainable Construction Technologies and Head of the Laboratory of Integrated Performance Design at EPFL in Lausanne. Her research focuses on the psycho-physiological effects of natural light on building occupants.
Panattoni Danfoss BTO
Warsaw, Poland
For an international company specialising in hi-tech heating and cooling solutions, it would be unthinkable not to lead by example on the issue of energy efficiency. Founded in 1933, Danfoss has done exactly that with this new complex at its Polish production plant in Grodzisk, the Danish company’s first zeroemission site anywhere in the world.
All its heating, cooling and ventilation systems are powered by green electricity. In this part of Europe winters can be extreme, so heat recovered from the plant’s production lines is used to provide water heating and space heating for the 13,000-m²+ facility. And this is only the beginning, since the entire Grodzisk campus will be CO2 neutral within just two years. Green electricity will be the only power
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Local design agencies in Poland and Denmark
• Developer: Panattoni
purchased, and the site will generate its own renewable energy from wind turbines and photovoltaic panels.
360 employees work at the new Danfoss complex, out of a total of 1,325 people employed across the Grozisk site.
“The greenest energy is the energy you don’t use, and that’s the philosophy behind every use we make of energy in this plant”
Adam Jedrzejczak, East Europe Regional President at Danfoss
Passaic Logistics Center Passaic, USA
When referring to the transformation of a derelict brownfield site into an ultramodern logistics campus providing job opportunities to many unemployed local people, the Passaic City Council President (New Jersey) says: “The dream is now reality”. To make this dream come true, IDI Logistics first had to remediate large quantities of industrial pollutants accumulated in the
89
That’s the Walkability® Score for this new logistics hub; an extremely rare achievement for any industrial building.
soil since the 19th century. The application of demanding and advanced construction processes has made it possible to create nothing less than a demonstrator for tomorrow’s logistics. Flooded with natural daylight, this Energy Efficiency Class A warehouse is roofed using the TPO R30 single ply membrane system to limit the heat island effect. Insulated loading bay doors and a highvolume, low-speed (HVLS) ventilation system will soon be complemented by enough solar panels to meet 80% of site energy demand. Together, all these features achieve an environmental rating and working conditions unprecedented in the logistics industry.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: KSS Architects
• Developer: IDI Logistics, Atlanta
“We’re delighted to have created such a pleasant and energy-efficient workspace in a location where employees can simply walk to work”
Mark Saturno, CEO at IDI Logistics
BEST MIXED-USE PROJECT
Morland Mixité Capitale Paris,
France
How do you transform a modernist government building into a lively and welcoming place to work? A stone’s throw from the Ile de la Cité and Notre-Dame Cathedral, two new buildings supported by large concrete arches have - thanks to the Réinventer Paris project - provided precisely that in the shape not only of offices, housing and retail units, but also a 5-star hotel, restaurant, 63-place crèche, art gallery and youth hostel.
Morland Mixité also provides a new platform from which to discover Paris, because its restaurant and bar boast 360° views over the capital. This panorama is further enhanced by a simultaneously reflective and transparent permanent public artwork that creates kaleidoscopic effects of the city’s skyline and changes with the weather.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: David Chipperfield Architects / CALQ Architecture
• Developer: Emerige Group
This diversity of uses is unique in Europe, and is also reflected in the energy mix where, in conjunction
5,000 visitors are welcomed here every day
with high levels of thermal insulation, the exchange of heat be-
tween spaces has reduced energy consumption to a level 15% lower than the regulatory thresholds. Using a technique commonly seen in urban agriculture applications, wastewater from the building is treated by biofiltration in 500 m2 of vertical gardens. With its internal street of retail shops and even a market, Morland Mixité Capitale has become a focal point for this entire area of the city.
Msheireb Downtown Doha, Qatar
Msheireb Downtown Doha is the first urban area designed to be smart and sustainable from the ground up, with the highest concentration of LEED Gold and Platinum-certified buildings anywhere in the world. The primary goal here was to create five communities that would give residents the opportunity to return to the heart of the capital to live, work and enjoy their leisure time.
The project provided the opportunity to achieve the highest level of environmental performance, from state-of-the-art insulation to
energy recovery from incoming air and a high-efficiency district cooling plant that together reduce typical energy consumption levels by 30%. The savings on water consumption equate to 70% of the city’s annual volume. A tram powered by renewable energy and a well-designed network of pedestrian walkways complete this project to revitalise the heart of Doha.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architects : Allies and Morrison, AECOM, Mossessian Architecture, John McAslan and Partners, Adjaye Associates, Squire & Partners, Gensler, Eric Parry Architects, HOK, Mangera Yvars, Burns & McDonnell, Burton Studio
• Developer: Msheireb Properties
Norblin Factory Warsaw, Poland
Combining new build with heritage conservation, Norblin Factory established its identity as the epicentre of Warsaw’s business community the moment it opened. This complex of 15 mixed-use buildings includes 10 original buildings of the former Wole silversmithing factory, which had remained closed to the public for many years. Designed by PRC Architekci in close collaboration with the Polish historic monuments service, the 65,000-m2 scheme includes two 8-storey office buildings and an underground car park. The long-span slabs extending from a central core embrace and unite
the historic buildings in a bold design statement. From the museum charting the history of the site to the original KinoGram cinema, and from the BioBazar organic market to Food Town, the city’s largest food court, locals and visitors love this unique combination of business, culture and great food.
Project owner Capital Park has now established the Norblin Factory Foundation to continue the good work of the former factory owners in supporting young and aspiring artists.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: PRC Architekci
• Project owner: Capital Park Group
106
That’s the number of trees planted between the shops and pedestrian walkways of the historic Wole site.
BEST OFFICE BUSINESS PROJECT
425 Park Avenue New York, USA
Deserving of its presence among the architectural icons of New York’s Plaza District, Lord Norman Foster’s project, which was always designed to set the ultimate benchmark for a working environment, is certainly living up to expectations. While meeting the officially imposed requirement to retain 25% of the metal infrastructure of the old building, the team still managed to remove the equivalent in weight of three Eiffel Towers. The result is the ability to create highceilinged, pillar-free collaborative working spaces. The low-VOC in-
terior fittings are complemented by an on-demand ventilation system that also regulates CO2 levels.
From concrete to steel and glass
NO LESS THAN 89%
of the materials used in the old tower were recovered for recycling
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Foster + Partners
• Development: L&L Holding Company
• Financier: BentallGreenOak
“Floors with outdoor terraces are the first of their kind on Park Avenue, and help to create a permeable and healthy working environment”
Norman Foster, Architect and 1999 Pritzker Prize winner.
Biome Paris, France
92% of these offices are lit by natural daylight
The complex boasts a rare asset in central Paris: 3,500 m² of outdoor space, including a landscaped garden. The planted areas have been doubled to conserve biodiversity, and enable the introduction of more than 70 regional plant species.
This is one of the few major contemporary office projects ever to be built in a district of Paris - the 15 th arrondissement - that has historically been both residential and commercial. At 24,000 m², BIOME combines new build with the renovation of a 1960s building to create the mixed use it previously lacked. Symbolising this new openness, a business centre is now available to nearby companies, while local residents can rent space in its 500-m² cow-
orking facility at reduced rates. A feat of architectural and technical prowess, the new building is distinctive for its concrete exoskeleton and sloping eight-storey design, and is connected to the existing structure by a transparent walkway. The construction process made great use of recycled materials, including the original marble flooring and serpentine stone facings. Delivered by SFL in July 2022, BIOME is now home to La Banque Postale and SFIL.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Agence Jouin Manku - YMA / Yrieix Martineau Architecture
• Project owner: SFL
• Developer: BOUYGUES RENOVATION PRIVÉE IDF
Post Luxembourg Headquarters Luxembourg
This building opposite the buzzing intersection of the country’s international commuter traffic - Luxembourg central rail station - brings together all business activities and central services of Post Luxembourg, the country’s largest employer. No fewer than 1,000 people work here in the 2,370 m2 of this versatile and user-friendly building, whose design reflects the horizontal organisational structure of the national postal and telecoms service provider.
A massive spiral staircase in the equally impressive central atrium makes it easy for staff to move
around between departments. It also connects to lounges, R&R facilities and fitness spaces, all of which make a valuable contribution to company culture. These interactions also continue outside the building, with the insightful solution of conserving the facade of the neighbouring building to provide continuity with the contemporary features of the new building designed by Luxembourgbased Metaform Architects. Solar panels, rainwater harvesting, highperformance glazing and active tile air conditioning have all contributed to the building being awarded German DGNB Platinum environmental certification.
A giant 2,110 m3 ice storage system used in conjunction with heat recovery from the data centre allows the building to operate with no air conditioning or boilers.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Metaform Architects, Luxembourg
• Developer: Post Luxembourg
“This building is one of the stones which will mark the change of image of the district”
Lydie Pofler, Mayor of the City of Luxembourg
Quay Quarter Tower Sydney, Australia
Quay Quarter Tower (QQT) brings high-rise buildings into the circular economy. This pioneering exercise was led by 3XN Architecture and its scheme to upcycle the former AMP Centre in Sydney, which dates from 1976.
An impressive 65% of the beams, columns and slabs, and 98% of the central core of the building were retained as part of creating a
world-class office tower from what had become an obsolete building. Five shifting volumes are arranged around central atria that accommodate shared amenities and social spaces, and provide exceptional views over Sydney Harbour.
In contrast to the conventional layout of the original building, QQT creates a vertical village of community clusters. The Platinum
12,000 TONNES of carbon emissions were avoided by reusing existing concrete.
Quay Quarter Tower demonstrates how reuse can be synonymous with metamorphosis: the addition of 45,000 m2 of extra floor space to a structure nearly 50 years old has doubled the building’s floor area and capacity.
certification awarded by the WELL Building Institute recognises the social sustainability credentials of this tower and its focus on user collaboration and well-being
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: 3XN
• Developer: AMP Capital
BEST REFURBISHED BUILDING
Bentosilo Düsseldorf, Germany
Alisted historic building since 2000, this former concrete silo is now one of the flagship buildings of the Plange Mühle Campus in Düsseldorf’s former industrial port.
In common with the rest of the harbourside, which has been redeveloped to the highest environmental standards, the 10 reinforced concrete cylinders of the silo have been reused as part of this wider and more sustainable approach to planning. The industrial heritage of the site required
the retention of the existing volumes, regardless of how challenging it might be to repurpose them. The choice made by ingenhoven Associates was to insert 7 floor levels from above by opening the tops of two silos. Thermal insulation is provided by a 15-cm mineral render to emphasise the authentic identity of the location. Today, Bentonsilo is home to a radiology practice, an orthopaedic clinic and offices with stunning views thanks to a scheme that has taken the building from zero use to 100% occupancy.
Bentonsilo has been developed in accordance with ingenhoven’s supergreen® principles, which take a holistic approach to resource conservation and energy efficiency.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: ingenhoven associates
• Developer: Harbour Properties
KB 32 Copenhagen, Denmark
Empty and neglected for many years, the former rail freight office designed by Ole Hagen in 1967 has now been sensitively repurposed under the leadership of Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects without compromising its modernist style. Reflecting a time in history when the railways guided urban development policy in Copenhagen, this cruise liner of a building 180 metres long with 31,700-m2 floorspace showcases its construction materials of concrete and hot-rolled steel. Now with a full-size roof terrace and direct connection to Copenhagen’s green grid and public transport system, KB32 retains its industrial appearance to offer the multifunc-
tional, comfortable and acoustically efficient spaces required for today’s agile office working environment.
Certified to BREEAM Very Good standard, and fully let two years before completion, KB32 provides a textbook example of how to maximise the benefits of existing buildings as part of creating an eco-efficient urban fabric.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects
• Developer: REVCO
“The aluminium facade of KB32 has given a long-maligned building back its self-respect and dignity”
Holger Dahl writing in the Berlingske national daily.© Rasmus Hjortshøj © Rasmus Hjortshøj © Rasmus Hjortshøj
Métal 57 Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Since the Renault factory closed in 1992, the banks of the Seine in Boulogne-Billancourt have been the focus of an enormous redevelopment scheme covering more than 37 hectares. Built a few years earlier, the 57 Métal workshop had been waiting for a project that would be appropriate and in keeping with its industrial heritage. At the same time as redefining the most representative elements of the building, which is instantly recognisable by its succession of sheds, architect Dominique Perrault has inserted a 9-storey office building.
Except that this office building is open to the public, because Métal 57 now has a 3,500-m2 green rooftop, restaurant, fitness centre, auditorium and business centre laid out around an internal street. Its 8 certifications have been awarded in recognition of its materials recycling, soft mobility and urban agriculture credentials. The way that its glass and stainlesssteel exteriors reflect light in all directions has made Métal 57 an iconic destination for visitors.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Dominique Perrault Architecture
• Developer: BNP Paribas Immobilier
Today’s Métal 57 offers a flexible 37,000 m2 SPACE that provides a perfect response to the changes in working patterns and practices that so quickly followed in the wake of Covid-19.© Vincent Fillon © Ooshot Xavier-Alexandre Pons
Procuratie Vecchie Venice, Italy
The restoration of the monumental north wing of St. Mark’s Square in Venice coincides with the first-ever opening to the public of the headquarters of The Human Safety Net foundation established by Generali, one of the world’s largest insurers.
As the historic masterpiece is restored to its original splendour, a carbon-neutral exhibition venue, auditorium and business centre are establishing it as a contemporary
showcase for one of the most sustainable architectural schemes yet developed in Europe.
Software originally developed for the space industry has been used to provide the detailed seismic data required to plan the structural interventions. The building also features an air conditioning and heating system that uses no fossil fuels, and adjusts its output to reflect the actual number of people in the building. In this skilful mar-
Originally the seat of the Procurators, the second most important figures in the Venetian Empire after the Doge, the north wing of St Mark’s Square in Venice has been owned by Generali since 1831.
riage, frescoes, decorated timber ceilings and a broad spectrum of recycled natural materials interact with the very latest technology.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: David Chipperfield, Milan
• Developer: Generali Real Estate
BEST RESIDENTIAL PROJECT
Collegium Zottegem, Belgium
This neo-Gothic former building in Zottegem, south of Ghent, now offers 65 comfortable apartments and a succession of terraces with breathtaking views of the city. The combination of property development and urban redevelopment, the new buildings link previously neglected wasteland to the city centre’s busiest shopping street. The scheme by Studio Farris Architects has delivered a successful vision of what
repurposing can achieve, not only for historic buildings, but also in terms of new build materials.
Collegium is more than simply a benchmark for low-carbon strategies; it is a genuine ecosystem in its own right, and within which every detail has its own importance. So rainwater is used here for cleaning purposes, and birds nest in spaces especially created for them in the old brick facades.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Studio Farris Architects
• Developer: Vanhouts Projects
“The environmental dimension of Collegium meets the needs and expectations of residents, at the same time as reinforcing their sense of belonging”
Giuseppe Farris, Architect
Hospitalment Yotsuya Daikyocho Tokyo, Japan
In Japan, achieving harmony between buildings and their environment is an ancient principle, and one embraced by Nikken Housing System when designing this seniors residence in central Tokyo.
The vertical granite louvres that provide the rhythmic base for the building are softened in the reception spaces to create the impression of a woodland path. That feeling that owes much to the design of the building and its use of
stone and wood, but also in part to its use of the most energyefficient technologies, which include LED lighting, radiant heating and cooling for the dining room, planted roofs and solar panels. The atria bring natural daylight into the dining room to create the impression of it being above ground, and residents are served meals created by a nutritionist using the freshest produce available. The result is to create the high point of a healthy and enjoyable life.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Nikken Housing System Ltd
• Developer: Hulic Co., Ltd
Seismic performance that exceeds current regulations by 1.25 also provides peace of mind for residents and their families.
“Our compact urban residence for seniors is a prototype for the Asian market. We believe that we have created an environment in which older people can live and retain their true identities”
Keiko Terasaka, Architect
One Park Drive London, UK
This new 58-storey residential tower by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron is injecting new impetus into one of the last remaining development areas of London’s docklands. The focal point of a new Thames-side pedestrian walkway where the waterfront meets a new expanse of green space, One Park Drive brings structure and life to the final extension of Canary Wharf, the capital’s leading business centre after the City of London.
Designed very much on the human scale, One Park Drive is distinctive for its generous loft apartments opening onto the surrounding gardens, the cluster of different apartment types in the central section, and duplexes with individual terraces on the upper levels. The ground floor level features a generous entrance lobby open 24/7, as well as a library and a cinema. Residents particularly appreciate the enormous health club and its 20-metre swimming pool.
Wood Wharf will eventually offer up to 3,600 new homes, 32,500 m2 of retail and eateries, 185,000 m2 of office space, a medical centre and a primary school.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Herzog & de Meuron
• Developer: Canary Wharf Group
Sluishuis Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Considered as Amsterdam’s waterfront, the IJ is a body of water that was once a bay, and is now the new icon for a waterside lifestyle. Cantilevered over this calm expanse of water, Sluishuis is a 39,500-m2 integrated scheme designed by Danish and Dutch architects Bjarke Ingels Group and Barcode. It features 442 apartments, an underground car park below water level, houseboat and leisure craft moorings, restaurants and shops. Solar panels, rainwater recycling, heat recovery
systems and the use of sustainable materials including eco-concrete and FSC-certified timber are just
-0.02
This negative Energy Performance score shows that Sluishuis generates more energy than it consumes.
some of the hi-tech construction choices that have established Sluishuis as a benchmark project
for zero-energy architecture. This unique destination just 15 minutes from central Amsterdam is a clear demonstration that prestige projects can also be flagships for sustainability.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group
• Developer: BESIX RED Vorm - Ontwikkeling B.V.
BEST URBAN REGENERATION PROJECT
Atelier Gardens Berlin, Germany
Atelier Gardens is designed to demonstrate exactly what a progressive and financially resilient development model can aspire to be. The project is transforming a 110-year-old disused film studio covering 6 acres near the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin to create a 24,281-m² global social entrepreneurship campus due for completion in 2024.
The master plan by MVRDV architects set out to regenerate existing buildings on the site, and transform them into 21st century workspaces, events venues and
film studios. It also aims to revive the pioneering spirit of the old film studios by including a broad range of social transformation stakeholders, as well as activists for social change and entrepreneurs. Atelier Gardens is also designed to renature the site through the creation of rooftop gardens and using naturalistic planting for soil decontamination and remediation. Its holistic approach also encompasses the sustainable reuse of materials and the launch of a zero-waste, organic and seasonal model for food service outlets.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Developer: Fabrix
• Investors: Bertha Foundation and Fabrix
Capital
• Outdoor spaces: Harris Bugg Studio
From children’s drama sessions to composting workshops and festivals, the activities programme at Atelier Gardens is designed specifically for local residents.
Galataport Istanbul, Turkey
The challenge of the Galataport project was a daunting one: to transform an underused former customs area into a waterside tourist destination of restored historic buildings, fine dining, shopping and a hub for arts and culture. After eight years of work, this 112,000-m2 project was completed on 30 September 2021.
All Galataport buildings use seawater as their coolant medium. This natural solution reduces energy consumption by 34% compared with gas.
The central design ethos is one of an outdoor urban fabric whose low-rise buildings integrate harmoniously with the heritage of the site. A unique hatch system has been created to provide access to the world’s first underground cruise terminal. From design through to construction and operation, the project owners have taken enormous care to minimise its environmental impact through solutions ranging from energy optimisation and green roofs to ensuring water quality in providing excellent public transport connections. Galataport Istanbul is the second-largest project in Europe to be awarded LEED Platinum certification.
12 MILLION
That’s how many visitors were welcomed by Galataport in its first year of operation.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Developer: Galataport Istanbul Port Management and Investments Inc.
• Financiers: Dogus Group, BLG Capital and a consortium of Turkish banks
Norblin Factory Warsaw, Poland
Norblin Factory is an iconic and BREEAM Excellentcertified urban regeneration project in the Wola district of Warsaw. The project to convert this former industrial site into a complex open to the public took a year, and involved the creation of 41,000 m2 of modern office space, as well as 24,000 m² of retail and service spaces.
This new destination in the centre of Warsaw carefully preserves
the spatial integrity of the historic factory buildings, while creating a range of new public spaces that include restaurants, shops, a cinema, an organic food market, a concert hall, an art gallery and the Norblin Factory Museum that pays tribute to two centuries of industrial activity in this location. Delivered in August 2021, the new complex was visited by more than 3.5 million people in 2022.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Developer: Capital Park Group
• Financiers: Bank Pekao SA, European Investment Bank and Capital Park Group funds
The complex also boasts the first automatic underground bike park in Poland, as well as many outdoor bike racks and 200 bike parking spaces for office workers.
380
As part of its circular economy ethos, the Norblin Factory project principals have taken great care to retain and conserve not only the buildings, but also around 380 other industrial artefacts, from rails to trolleys, doors and light fittings.
Shunde Joy Marina Foshan, China
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Design: Martha Schwartz Partners
• Developer: OCT Development Co, Ltd.
UNESCO
Shunde - the historic capital of Cantonese cuisine - joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2014.
Within just a few years, Shunde Joy Marina has established itself as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The reason is clear: its highly attractive combination of homes, upscale shops, art galleries and even a theme park.
Prior to commencement of work in 2016, the project was envisioned as a transitional stony landscape combining urban and waterside living. The development is paved with identical units that have been enlarged or reduced to differentiate spaces by size. The resulting pattern - which evokes geological fault lines - unifies the ground lev-
el experience with the surrounding architecture.
Ecology is also a central theme of this 200,000-m² project, with the conscious choice of using water as the unifying element through the creation of a network of canals that weave their way through the streets collecting rainwater runoff.
BEST NEW DEVELOPMENT
Confluence - B1 C1 Nord Lyon, France 22-26
The B1-C1 Nord project in the Confluence district of Lyon covers two riverside blocks. By 2024, it aims to have delivered a mixed-use urban scheme that includes 250 family homes and 15,000 m² of further education space, with retail units on the ground floor. In terms of environmental quality, the project focuses on three major priorities: reconnecting living spaces with the natural environment, mitigating climate change through the use of new construction methods, and significantly limiting resource consumption by designing a revolutionary Concept 22/26 building.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architects: Baumschlager Eberle Architects, PetitDidierPrioux Architects and Atelier de ville en ville
• Developer: Nexity
Reflecting the committed stance taken by the urban authority of Lyon, the scheme will facilitate the use of soft mobility options, such as cycling, and encourage the use of nearby public transport links.
This type of residential building has no heating or mechanical ventilation system, but is nevertheless able to guarantee its occupants a consistent year-round indoor temperature of between 22°C and 26°C.
Fuse Valley Matosinhos, Portugal
Located in Matosinhos (a northern district of the city of Porto), this project by Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group, was commissioned by Farfetch, the online luxury fashion retailer. As a world leader in its markets, the company needed a new headquarters that would promote the well-being of its people, encourage innovation and deliver longterm sustainability. Castro Group accepted this challenge, and is on schedule to deliver this scheme,
which also includes office space for other businesses, a hotel, retail outlets and services, by the end of 2025.
The architectural design exploits a multilevel layout in which roof heights rise and fall to create peaks and valleys as an artificial extension to the hillside on which it stands. It is also designed to lead by example in terms of ecological credentials, from air quality to natural light levels, thermal and acoustic com-
At the same time as benefiting from its proximity to the airport and the main arterial roads of Greater Porto, it will also encourage maximum use of sustainable transport options, including shuttle services, self-service bike hire, etc.
86,513 m2
That’s the total area of landscaping planned for this project, which will include the creation of public squares and gardens.
fort. Fuse Valley is intended to provide those who work there with a high-quality working environment, and an equally high-quality standard of life for the local community.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group
• Developer: Castro Group
Dalum Paper Mill Odense, Denmark
Perpetuating the fantastic history of what was once Denmark’s largest paper mill by transforming the site to build a new community that creates a seamless unity between city and landscape: that is the vision for the Dalum Paper Mill project. To achieve this ambitious goal, the project principals have adopted a sustainable and holistic strategy that combines the reuse of buildings and materials with user wellbeing and natural space integration.
The master plan provides for the construction of 450 homes by the end of 2024, some of which will be integrated into the existing factory buildings. For example, the oldest of the paper-making machine rooms will be transformed into a large community centre and orangery. Located close to its natural surroundings and with direct links to the nearby city of Odense, the future 45,000-m2 community will also offer cultural activities, shops and leisure facilities for everyone.
150%
The new community’s existing green spaces will be increased by 150% to achieve the highest score possible in qualifying for the DGNB Biodiversity label.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Construction:
MT Højgaard
• Master plan:
C.F. Møller Architects
Roots in the Sky London, UK
Roots in The Sky will be London’s first office building to deliver an urban forest rooftop, and will set a new benchmark for sustainability and the circular economy. The project involves the transformation of a former 1960s courthouse into an all-electric office building that will be Net Zero in both construction and operation.
It will also be the first building in the UK to have an urban forest on its rooftop. The 0.6-hectare area will hold 1,000 tonnes of soil into which will be planted 125 mature trees and 10,000 other plants. On
completion in December 2026, the project will provide all building users with cooling shade, fresh air and contact with the natural world. The Roots in the Sky rooftop terrace will also have exceptional views over the capital.
- 41%
Its passive design, use of renewable energy and embedded smart energy management systems will reduce the operational emissions of Roots in the Sky to more than 41% below the UK baseline.
This highly sustainable worldclass workspace project by Fabrix will target the highest environmental certification levels currently available: BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Platinum and Nabers 5*.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: Sheppard Robson
• Developer: Fabrix ●
• Landscape design: Harris Bugg Studio
BEST NEW MEGA DEVELOPMENT
Bosque Metropolitano Madrid, Spain
More than a million trees! This figure alone sums up the incredible ambition of the Bosque Metropolitano project to create a forest around the Spanish capital of Madrid. It involves creating 5,000 hectares of new green spaces linked to all those that already exist to form a 32,000-hectare green belt 75-km long. More than 1.3 million trees and 5.5 million shrubs will be planted, creating the potential to absorb 190,000 tonnes of CO2
Bosque Metropolitano will require an investment of €1.4 billion for the purchase of land, reforestation, roads, the creation of eco-corridors and the installation of equipment. By proposing the eco-restoration of impoverished areas of the city, enhancing the city’s land heritage and opening up a new public space, Bosque Metropolitano will offer Madrileños a new urban experience focused totally on nature and their own well-being
2040
Launched in June 2020, the ambitious Bosque Metropolitano project will run until 2040, according to projections produced by Madrid City Council Urban Development Services.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Developer and architect: Madrid City Council Urban Development Services
Barrios Productores is a City of Madrid initiative to promote the expansion of productive and sustainable urban garden projects in open spaces or on rooftops.
Four Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Elevating the community to the skies. That’s the concept behind the FOUR project that represents a new beginning for this former Deutsche Bank site. FOUR involves the ongoing construction of four new highrise buildings on a multi-storey podium to create approximately 213,000 m² of floor space. When
100-233 m
The heights of the four towers will vary from 100 to 233 metres, and will relate to each other like the sails of a windmill.
completed in 2024, as many as 1,000 people will live here, and a further 4,000 will work in this sustainable community (circular economy, geothermal, smart building technology, etc.) built around efficiency, luxury and comfort. Half the floor space created will provide new office space. There will also be 600 apartments, two hotels, a food court, shops and public spaces, including squares, green roof terrace and a network of pedestrian pathways. The four innovative towers will make maximum use of natural daylight, collect rainwater and use integrated smart building management systems.
The extremely high level of care devoted to deconstructing the original building has resulted in FOUR becoming the first project to be awarded DGNB Platinumlevel sustainable demolition certification.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Architect: UNStudio Amsterdam
• Developer: Groß & Partner
• Financiers: Equity and bank lending
La Baie des Rois Libreville, Gabon
La Baie des Rois is an ambitious project to develop a new language of urban design for Africa. A direct outcome of the 2011 National Infrastructure Master Plan, this urban planning project will develop 40 hectares of land in central Libreville, and build more than 360,000 m² of new floor space. From mobility considerations to energy efficiency and sustainable construction technologies, La Baie des Rois applies the eco-responsibility ethos to every part of the project. More specifically, it proposes to plant 75% of the open space available to mitigate the effects of excessive heat, reduce heat stress and limit the need for air conditioning.
With its position on the Gabon Estuary, La Baie des Rois is ideally located to establish itself as an attractive economic hub for Africa. When finally completed in 2035, the new community will combine the latest connected city technology with national history in celebration of Gabon’s indigenous peoples.
Delivered in August 2022, the North Promenade is a car-free destination that encourages sports and bans single-use plastic. It also complies fully with international accessibility standards for people with reduced mobility.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• ● Developer and investor: Façade Maritime du Champ Triomphal
1st
La Baie des Rois is the first wastewater treatment plant in Libreville designed to serve an entire district of the city. Both stormwater and wastewater will be treated before discharge.
Parc de l’Alba Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), Spain
At 400 hectares, Parc de l’Alba in Cerdanyola del Vallès (population 58,000) is the largest urban development currently underway in Catalonia, with a master plan to build 5,377 new homes (50% of which will be for social housing) and provide 1,565,150 m2 of space for innovative business use. Scheduled for completion in 2032, the scheme is designed to create a resilient, attractive and sustainable neighbourhood by adapting its layout to the natural topography, respecting existing bodies of water and limiting the extent of impermeable surfaces. It also incorporates a green corridor of approximately 140 hectares. With an ageing population,
Cerdanyola del Vallès believes that building affordable housing will fulfil the demand for housing among its younger people and reduce social inequalities. The nearby presence of the ALBA Synchrotron campus and the Autonomous University of Barcelona is expected to create more than 30,000 new jobs within the local authority area.
A high-efficiency energy system will generate electricity and provide local heating and cooling services, enabling local companies to save on capital expenditure, at the same time as reducing their own CO2 emissions.
50%
The Parc de l’Alba master plan allocates more than 50% of its public areas to green spaces, within which the planting of drought-resistant native species will be prioritised and encouraged.
TECHNICAL SHEET
• Project initiated by:
The Government of Catalonia
• Financier:
Incasòl – Catalan land institute
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