ICSC recognizes top shopping centers with Best-of-the-Best awards

According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc. (ICSC), three shopping centers and one shopping center developer have been chosen as ICSC's Best-of-the-Best Award winners. The winners were honored during the annual Best-of-the-Best Awards ceremony that took place during the "Night of the Stars" gala, at RECon 2010 on Sunday, May 23 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The Best-of-the-Best Awards honor and recognize the most outstanding examples of shopping center design and development, sustainability, marketing, and community service worldwide. "This year's winners have set themselves apart from the rest of the retail real estate industry by creating a unique and exceptional design, campaign or program," said Michael Kercheval, president and CEO for ICSC. "The 'Best-of-the-Best Awards' sets the bar for what the retail real estate industry has come to expect from its owners and developers and there is no better place to recognize these outstanding centers then at RECon - where the leaders of the retail real estate industry come together to conduct business," Kercheval said. The winners are: SUSTAINABILITY: Shopping Square Meydan, Istanbul, Turkey. Shopping Square Meydan acts as a green oasis in the middle of a city district dominated by concrete edifices by offering a place to play, stroll and picnic. In addition, Shopping Square Meydan contains remarkable architecture coupled with innovative, sustainable engineering. It incorporates such ecological aspects as cooling and heating systems, which are provided by one of the largest geothermal systems in Europe, and natural roof meadows. The shopping square combines shopping and leisure time activities with 50 different shops, a food court with restaurants and cafés and a movie theater complex, representing a new generation of retail properties in Istanbul. Developer: Metro Group Asset Management GmbH & Co KG. Architect: Foreign Office Architects. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT: CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand. CentralWorld underwent a successful multi-million dollar transformation that created a visually and physically accessible mixed-use complex with over 2 million square feet of retail space. The new center now connects directly to the elevated light rail and busy ground level major cross streets, creating a myriad of new opportunities to engage the public. CentralWorld takes full advantage of its lengthy frontage along Bangkok's prime retail street, Rajdamri, to engage shoppers in its variety of external and internal civic spaces. Developer: Central Pattana PLC Architects: Altoon + Porter Architects LLP. Additionally, 8 "Honoree Awards" were presented in this category. They were presented to: The Americana at Brand, Glendale, Calif.; Forum Mersin Shopping and Lifestyle Centre, Mersin, Turkey; GYRE, Tokyo, Japan; IstinyePark, Istanbul, Turkey; The Kansas City Power & Light District, Kansas City, Mo.; Boulevard del Parque, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Greenbelt 5, Manila, Philippines; and Multiplaza Pacific, Panama City, Panama MARKETING: SunEdison, Developers Diversified Realty, Cleveland, Ohio. Developers Diversified's partnership with SunEdison was groundbreaking in many ways. First, they generated $1.2 million by leasing their largest unused asset, rooftops, and having SunEdison pay rent for the right to deploy solar energy across Developers Diversified's portfolio. Second, the national solar program reduced energy costs, allowing the company to pass along savings to tenants in their CAM charges. Third, the new recurring revenue stream, estimated at $40 million, came at no tangible expense to the company at a time of extreme capital preservation. Annual clean energy use at the three New Jersey properties equates to taking 3,000 cars off the road. Additionally, four "Honoree Awards" were presented in this category. They were presented to: Grand Arcade, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Edmonton City Centre Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Santana Row, San Jose, Calif.; and Crestwood Court, St. Louis, Mo. ALBERT SUSSMAN FOUNDATION AWARD: The Source Meadowhall Centre, Sheffield, United Kingdom. Working in partnership with Sheffield City Council, British Land set up The Source primarily to encourage economic regeneration. It would serve local people and Meadowhall retailers as well as help protect British Land's long-term investment in the area. Since opening, The Source has delivered training to over 2,000 people and supported more than 250 businesses across South Yorkshire. The socially inclusive ethos has encouraged 350,000 people to use the facilities or attend training. The scale and stature of The Source has grown dramatically, building on the steady successes of five years' hard work. The team has supported more and more local people and businesses, helping them to maintain morale and performance in a challenging economic climate. Company: British Land Company, PLC.