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Pinnacles of Modern Urban Design: The Urban Land Institute Architecture Awards 2010

Filed under: By Design, Architecture & Design

Five outstanding developments have been selected as winners of the 2010 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: LA LIVE, Los Angeles; Miasteczko Wilanów, Warsaw, Poland; Rouse Hill Town Centre, Rouse Hill, Australia; The Southern Ridges, Singapore; and Thin Flats, Philadelphia.

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 winners were announced in October during the ULI Fall Meeting in Washington DC. "While each of 2010 winners is unique in craft, they all raise the design standard for their own region of the world," said 2010 Global Awards for Excellence Jury Chairman Joseph E. Brown, Group Chief Executive of AECOM in San Francisco. "People sometimes think that challenging economic times results in low quality development; however, it often leads to the most creativity and this year's winners are proof that great projects are still being executed globally. Each of the winning projects captures the spirit of the local community while maintaining elegance and originality."

The 2010 winners were selected from 19 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 2010 Global Awards for Excellence winners (developers in parentheses) are...

Tags: architecture, Global Awards For Excellence, LA LIVE, Miasteczko Wilanow project, strong urgan design, ULI, ULI Global Awards For Excellence, ULI Glorbal Awards For Excellence, Urban Land Institute

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New Ritz-Carlton Opens in Los Angeles

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

On April 2, 2010, a brand new Ritz-Carlton opened its doors at the L.A. Live complex, steps away from the Los Angeles Convention Center, the STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, The GRAMMY Museum and plenty of bars and restaurants. Basically, it's the only luxury hotel at LA 's one destination where you don't need a car to have a good time.

The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles is a 54-story tower with 123 guestrooms including a 3,000 square foot Ritz-Carlton Suite with a piano, entertainment room, media corner, lounge, kitchen, formal dining area and spectacular northern and western views. The 24th floor features a brand new Wolfgang Puck restaurant, WP24 -- it has a "wine cave" -- and on the 26th floor guests can relax at the private rooftop pool and bar, as well as the 2,000 square foot fitness center.

The hotel is also home to downtown LA's only full-service hotel spa (a must-have after long days at the convention center) -- an 8,000 square foot facility which encapsulates the glamor of Hollywood with exclusive gold facials and champagne and citrus scrubs.

Together with its sister hotel, the JW Marriott Los Angeles, ample space is available for weddings and other functions, and the amenities and attractions of Beverly Hills and Hollywood are just a cab ride away.

Basically, it's hard to believe that a hotel like this didn't already exist to accommodate the luxury guests of downtown LA. The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles is the final, and perhaps most extravagant piece of the $2.5 billion L.A. Live project, which began with the STAPLES Center in 1999. Click here to be one of the first to book.

Gallery: The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles

Tags: L.A. Live, la live, los angeles, los angeles ritz-carlton, marriott los angeles, nokia theater, Nokia Theatre, ritz-carlton, Staples Center

Los Angeles' Newest Ritz-Carlton Turns On The Lights Tonight

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

The burgeoning L.A. Live entertainment complex celebrates the finishing of the 54-story Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott tower tonight. The lights in the high-rise tower go on for the first time tonight. The LA Times reports that the lights on the top 27 levels will be lit up floor by floor in a wave as part of a City of Hope charity gala that will include Jon Bon Jovi, hockey star Luc Robitaille and Jimmy Kimmel.

The $2.5 billion L.A. Live project is part of a new entertainment hub in Los Angeles that includes the Staples Center, The Grammy Museum and the Nokia Theater. Restaurants and shops have also been springing up in the area. The tower's two hotels will open over the next couple of months with the Marriott planning a February 15 opening and the Ritz-Carlton following in March.

The Ritz-Carlton hotel will feature a 3,400 square-foot lounge that serves as the 23rd floor check-in area for guests.A lobby lounge and restaurant on the 24th floor offers panoramic views of the downtown and an outdoor rooftop swimming pool and terrace will offer guests of The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles a relaxing retreat in the middle of downtown.

The top floors will be home to 224 private condominiums, The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. Live. The one to three bedroom luxury apartments have access to hotel services and plans for The Residences include a library, multi-seat theater, and a fitness center. Around 60 percent of the units have found buyers many of whom have spent between $2 to $5 million for an apartment.

Tags: la live, LaLive, los angeles, LosAngeles, marriott hotel, MarriottHotel, nokia theater, NokiaTheater, ritz-carlton

Evo South Condo Development

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

The South Park area of Los Angeles has been booming lately. The area is the site of the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Staples Center and the "L.A. Live" project. This summer the big news was that a major grocery store returned to the area, signaling the growing residential contingent. EVO is a high-rise residence building in the neighborhood and is the only LEED certified high rise residence in L.A. The property includes a pool and sun terrace, fitness studio and rooftop entertainment lounge with an outdoor fireplace. Many units have beautiful horizon and city views. The building also has concierge service, a 24-hour lobby attendant and four levels of secure parking.

The last of Evo's sale-priced residences went on sale earlier this month starting in the mid $300,000s. Generally the condominiums are priced from the low-$400,000s to $3.7 million and range from 730 to over 3,500 square feet. Residences feature hardwood floors and wood cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, large, operable windows, decks, Juliet balconies and walk-in closets

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Gallery: EVO-South