The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has named NEX Tower, the faceted jewel along the stretch of Ayala Avenue, as one of the winners of 2019 ULI Asia Pacific Awards of Excellence. NEX Tower is developed by Nova Group in partnership with VelcoAsia and designed by internationally renowned architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), noted for designing the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, and the iconic One World Trade Center in New York City.

ULI is the oldest and largest network of real estate and land use experts in the world.  It recognizes the full development process of a project, not just its architecture and design. 

SOM sliced off the southwest corner of the building to generate superior views of Ayala Avenue and the Makati skyline

The ULI Awards for Excellence is also recognized as the most prestigious awards program in the property and development industry. The criteria for the award include leadership, positive impact, relevance to the contemporary and future needs of the community, environmental sustainability, stewardship and resiliency, strategies and techniques that other communities can replicate or adapt, and financial success.

The projects were selected by jury members who are recognized leaders representing a broad geographic diversity and are drawn from many areas of real estate development expertise, including finance, architecture, design, land planning and development, public affairs, and professional services.

The judging panel of APAC leaders was chaired by Ame Engelhart, ULI Trustee from Skidmore Owings Merrill, and included Bob Pratt, Tishman Speyer; Donald Choi, Chinachem Group; Han Lo, Tatami; Hong Soo Lee, Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation; Kerrie Muskens, Brookfield; Ong Choon Fah, Edmund Tie & Co; Peter Holland, Cistri; Rebecca Cheng, KPF and Siew Leng Fun, URA.

Over fifty projects were submitted to the awards program, NEX Tower was the sole finalist and the only award winner from the Philippines. 

“We envisioned NEX Tower to be a model for urban regeneration. We are extremely honored to receive the ULI Award for Excellence along with these leading developers from Singapore, China, and Japan. We are working with our collaborators to rebuild, retool, and regenerate the city for the next generation. Our goal is to continue to build landmark structures that can compete with those from other global cities,” said Ricardo Cuerva, Managing Director of Nova Group.

bluprint architecture news nex tower 2019 uli asia pacific awards of excellence
Left to right: Previous ULI Global Chairman and Chief Executive Officer & President at UDR Thomas Toomey; Nova Group Managing Director Ricardo Cuerva; Associate Director at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) Nicolas Medrano; and current ULI Asia Pacific Chairman and Professional Property Services Group Chairman Nicholas Brooke

The full list of awardees of the 2019 ULI Asia Pacific Awards of Excellence includes: 

  • Aoyama Building, Tokyo, Japan (Developer: GreenOak Investment Management K.K., Co-Owner: Mitsubishi Estate Co. Ltd)
  • Barrack Place –Sydney, Australia (Developer: Investa Property Group, Owner: IOF Custodian Pty Ltd; Designers: Architectus Group Pty Ltd)
  • COFCO Landmark Plaza, Beijing, China (Developer: COFCO Group; Designers: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Beijing Institute of Architectural Design)
  • Fish Lane, Brisbane, Australia (Developer: Aria Property Group, Owner: Brisbane City Council; Designers: Archipelago, RPS, Urbis)
  • Guoco Tower, Singapore (Developer: TPC Commercial Pte Ltd; Designers: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP)
  • Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC), Shanghai, China (Developer: Shui On Land; Designers: Skidmore, Ownings & Merrill LLP, Palmer & Turner, Atkins, Charpentier Architecture Design, Terry Farrell & Partners, Tongji Design Institute, BWSS, Gensler, Tianhua, Leigh & Orange, Hassell, 3XN, AECOM, EMBT)
  • Lingnan Tiandi LNTD Lot 1, Foshan, Guangdong, China (Developer: Shui On Land; Designers: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Ben Wood Studio Shanghai)
  • NEX Tower, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines (Developer: Nova Group; Designers: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP, R. Villarosa Architects, Nova Construction, Sy2 Associates)
  • Pacific Place, Hong Kong SAR, China (Developer: Swire Properties Limited; Designers: Wong and Ouyang (HK) Ltd, Heatherwick Studio, AFSO)
  • People’s Place – Kai Yip Recreation Centre, Hong Kong SAR, China (Developer: Gaw Capital Partners-Led Consortium; Designer: SLAB, Trilingua Design, One Bite Social Design)

READ MORE: NEX Tower’s humanist design makes good business sense

Download this month's BLUPRINT magazine digital copy from:
Subscribe via [email protected]