Mipim Awards 2017

The Mipim Awards  have been taking place since1991 on the occasion of the homonymous annual “world property market” which Reed Midem organises in Cannes. Their purpose is to offer international recognition to the architectural and urban planning projects which are connected with the investment and real estate companies that meet at Mipim each year.
With 11 sections and the same number of categories, the award covers different dimensions, from stand alone buildings to entire city neighbourhoods. The categories are: Best Healthcare Development, Best Hotel & Tourism Resort, Best Industrial & Logistics Development, Best Innovative Green Building, Best Office & Business Development, Best Refurbished Building, Best Residential Development, Best Shopping Centre, Best Urban Regeneration Project, Best Futura Project (up to 150,000 m2), Best Futura Mega Project (over 150,000 m2).

This year’s edition had 214 submissions presented by developers and architectural firms from 22 countries. On 17 March the winners were selected by a panel of industry experts, but also by the “popular” vote of the Mipim visitors who chose from among 44 finalists.
According to the chairman of the jury, John Forrester, who is the CEO EMEA of Cushman & Wakefield, “The quality is rising every year and the level of sustainable development and sustainable design is also rising, but with this year’s submission, we saw a real social aspect to the responsibility of how projects impact their communities.”
A perusal of the winners, but also of the finalists, shows how the real winners this year are environmental sustainability but also, and above all, social sustainability connected to a vision of construction that contributes to  creating or improving the quality of life within communities, while also recovering and refurbishing historical buildings or entire parts of a city.

Europe  had 8 of the 11 winners, including the GAPS psychiatric hospital in Slagelse, Denmark and the office tower at the Warsaw Spire in Poland, the Victoria Gateshopping centre of Leeds, the Maison Albar Hotel of Parigi and the residential complex  at  01 Liebigstrasse 1
a Berlin.
Of the 11 winners, 3 were from Belgium. They were: the Nike European Logistics Campus at  Ham , the recovery of the Chambon complex from the early 1900s in the hear of Brussels, and the  be-MINE regeneration plan at Beringen.

Asia claims ownership of the following awards: Best Futura Project, the China World Trade Center Phase 3C Development at Beijing and the Best Futura Mega Project for the Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City in Chiba, Japan.
The Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow) in Rio de Janeiro was awarded Best Innovative Green Building, while the Special Jury Award went to the restructuring of the Beyazit State Library of Istanbul.