Aspen Architect Wins Grand Prix Award
Local architect Jeffrey Berkus won the Grand Prix Award for designing the Doerr-Hosier Building in Aspen, Colorado with our very own Ruth Kruger presenting the award.
The United States chapter of The International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI-USA) awarded the Grand Prix of Real Estate for 2013 at a gala event held recently at the South Beach Yacht Club in San Francisco.
The overall winner was Atlanta’s Beltline, where 17 acres of a contaminated, barren site north of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace was transformed into a sustainable development in the form of a park (with a storm water retention pond to prevent flooding of local homes). The Historic Fourth Ward Park also includes a skate park designed by Tony Hawk.
“Most importantly, the creation of the park has led to millions of dollars of private investment in the surrounding community,” says Bill Endsley, secretary general of FIABCI-USA.
Eugenia Foxworth of Foxworth Realty – who also received an award for Strivers Gardens in New York City – adds, “I think it is phenomenal. They are using a lot of wasteland and contaminated fields and transforming it into a useable space for the community.”
Foxworth explains that the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce also did this with Strivers Gardens, which won the high-rise luxury residential award. The development consisted of two towers spanning one entire block. Affordable housing was built in this area, along with a gym, an outdoor garden and other amenities available to the community.
The other luxury residential award, for a low rise development, went to 188 King Street Residences in San Francisco. It was submitted by Lance Fulford of Alain Pinel Realtors and developed by O’Keefe Development. Unique Homes sponsored the luxury residential category awards.
A total of seven projects were recognized. The award categories included commercial, residential, public, master plan, industrial, environmental and historic preservation. Among the winners were the U.S. Athens Embassy compound developed by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Overseas Building Operations, and the Doerr-Hosier Center in Aspen, Colo. designed by Jeffrey Berkus Architects. Awards also were presented to the Philips Arena in Atlanta, and to Citibank for its 200th LEED Certified building, the flagship retail branch in Union Square in New York City.
“This Grand Prix was splendid and all the submissions were unique,” says Foxworth. “I feel that the judges had a difficult time selecting the winner.”
Awards are based on a project’s overall merit (including the plan of development, financial success, environmental impact and benefits to community) and evaluated by an international panel of real estate professionals and experts.
“All of the winners receive exposure on our website for one year as well as articles or ads in our partner magazines, including Unique Homes,” says Endsley.
The Grand Prix of Real Estate is a branch of the FIABCI Worldwide’s Prix d’Excellence, and the U.S. winner is now in the running for that honor.
Winners also gain access to international platforms for their projects and companies throughout the extensive FIABCI network of more than 60 member countries and over 120 professional organizations worldwide.
“Overall, the winners reflect the multi-disciplinary philosophy of the International Real Estate Federation,” says Endsley. “They are well-designed, profitable, well marketed and bring tangible benefit to their community.”
Article by Kimberly Turner, FIABCI
