(CHICAGO) – The Chicago office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that 300 North LaSalle has been named a 2011 winner in the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Award for Excellence: The Americas competition.
Widely recognized as the industry’s most prestigious recognition program, the award was announced during the ULI’s Real Estate Summit at the Spring Council Forum in Phoenix last week.
Located on the north bank of the Chicago River between the River North district and the Central Business District, 300 North La Salle contains 1.5 million square feet.
The 60-story, glass and steel tower was designed by Pickard Chilton and developed by Hines in 2009.
It was sold the following year to an affiliate of KBS Realty Advisors as part of the KBS REIT II portfolio.
Hines stayed on as property manager.
The building serves as the global headquarters for Kirkland & Ellis, which leases approximately half of the building space.
 “This award affirms Hines’ ongoing commitment to superior design and the impact that a focus on sustainable development can have in today’s marketplace,” commended Hines Midwest Regional CEO Kevin Shannahan.
In its 33rd year, the ULI awards program defines the standard for real estate development practice worldwide.
The Award for Excellence recognizes the full development process of a project – construction, economic viability, marketing and management – as well as design.
Selected from among 148 entries, 300 North LaSalle was recognized for a variety of attributes, including sustainable development practices, community and economic impact and financial viability.
The LEED®-Gold certified building maximizes natural lighting and minimizes solar gain, uses river water for cooling and features a half-acre plaza that has helped activate the riverfront.
This year’s honor marks the eighth time a Hines development has won an annual Award of Excellence competition.
Past winners include:
GM Renaissance Center - Detroit, MI (2008, The Americas); Meudon Campus – Meudon sur Seine, France (2007, Europe); 1180 Peachtree - Atlanta, GA (2007, The Americas, also designed by Pickard Chilton); Diagonal Mar – Barcelona, Spain (2004, Europe); Comerica Tower – Detroit, MI (1996); Wells Fargo Center – Minneapolis, MN (1989); and The Galleria in Houston (1979, first ever winner.)
All winning projects in the three regional ULI competitions (The Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa, and Asia Pacific) advance for consideration in the ULI Global Awards for Excellence, which honor projects that demonstrate cross-regional lessons in real estate development.
A renowned international jury selects up to five Global Award winners, which will be honored at a special ceremony during the ULI Fall Meeting.
KBS is one of the nation's preeminent buyers of commercial real estate having completed approximately $20.0 billion in transactional volume since its inception.
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,126 properties representing more than 459 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. With offices in 106 cities in 17 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $23.7 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information.