A total of 37 pioneering real estate projects from 15 countries have been shortlisted for the Cityscape Awards for Emerging Markets, a feature of the upcoming Cityscape Global, the region’s largest international real estate event, in Dubai, UAE.

With sustainability an underlining trend at this year’s Cityscape Awards for Emerging Markets, winners from each of the 13 categories will be announced in an elaborate ceremony taking place at Conrad Hotel, Dubai on September 8.

Cityscape Global is taking place from September 8 to 10 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Holley Chant, executive director of KEO International Consultants and a member of the judging panel, said sustainability is critical to the success of humanity’s future and real estate developers have an important part to play in its realisation.

“The quality of the nominations in the Sustainability category for Cityscape Awards for Emerging Markets this year was fantastic,” said Chant. “Projects seemed to really understand that the importance of a sustainable building is not just about being green, but also about serving as a great project from a real estate fundamentals’ point of view.

“We have developments that have truly made a positive social, economic and cultural impact on their communities, as well as being environmentally sound.

“With sustainable design now a code requirement in the UAE, designers have had to accept this level as the new standard and as a result are challenging themselves even more to create better and more aspirational designs which differentiate their expertise and products in the market,” he added.

The 13 award categories include completed projects and projects still under construction across the following sectors: Commercial Project; Mixed Use Project; Leisure and Hospitality Project; Community, Culture and Tourism Project; Residential Project; Retail Project; and Sustainability.

Woods Bagot, along with contractor Brookfield Multiplex, is one of the UAE finalists to be shortlisted for two separate categories, hoping to be successful in the Built Commercial Project category and the Sustainability category for its Irena headquarters project.

Richard Fenne, principal of Woods Bagot, said: “Should the Irena headquarters building win the Cityscape Awards it would be a great regional recognition of the collaborative effort the teams from Masdar, Woods Bagot and Brookfield Multiplex have undergone to design and deliver an exemplar office building.”

Leading architect Aedas has been shortlisted for eight different projects in China and Hong Kong, including Future Mixed Use Project Award, Built Commercial Project Award, Future Commercial Project Award, Future Leisure & Hospitality Project Award and the Future Retail Project Award.

Keith Griffiths, chairman of Aedas, said: “The Mena (Middle East and North Africa) region is one of our key markets and we feel very honoured to have been shortlisted for so many categories at an international awards programme. At Aedas, we insist that great design can only be delivered by people with a deep social and cultural understanding of the communities they are designing for and to gain such recognition at this year’s awards suggests we are right on target.”

Now in its 14th edition, Cityscape Global 2015 has attracted more than 300 international and regional exhibitors covering 40,000 sq m of exhibition space. The global real estate showcase has been on an upward growth curve since 2009, and will be the largest in six years.

Taking a new format this year, the Cityscape Global co-located conference will be staged the day before the exhibition at Conrad Hotel Dubai. The new format is expected to facilitate more than 800 senior real estate professionals and government officials who will explore opportunities and find solutions to key challenges affecting the industry today.

The Facilities Management programme, organised in association with Middle East Facilities Management Association (MEFMA), and the Real Estate Brokers programme will run alongside the ‘Dubai Market Overview’ on September 7 at Conrad Hotel, Dubai.

Cityscape Awards for Emerging Markets is sponsored by Aubrilam and Elektrolux. – TradeArabia News Service