Sofia, Bulgaria

The ground-breaking project created by leading global property consultants Colliers International that reconstructed the Sri Lankan village of Kirinda after the tsunami in a sustainable, green vision has been selected as one of the winners for the 2008 Urban Land Institute Awards for Excellence: Asia Pacific. ULI describes the awards, which took place in Tokyo, as “the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program.”

The Kirinda project was previously honored at the MIPIM real estate awards in Cannes last year where it won the Best Residential Development award and received a Special Tribute award. Following its success at the summit a new prize was announced, the Green Building award.

Shigeru Ban – the architect hailed by Time Magazine as one of the Top 100 innovators of the 21st century – worked with the trust set up by Colliers International, the Colliers Kirinda Trust, to reconstruct the village. He and his firm of architects donated their time to produce a radical vision that embraces local traditions and materials (the houses were constructed with rubber tree wood, coconut wood, teak, and sun-dried earthen blocks, natural materials chosen for their durability, strength and beauty) and conforms to the highest environmental standards. His design ensures that the houses can breathe in the heat and that air can circulate freely inside. Many other project homes made from concrete force occupiers to sit outside during the hot dry season. Also, all wood for the project has been purchased from local tree farms, which has kept the money in the local economy. And in a first, 100% solar-powered street lighting has been introduced.

Philip Bay, Regional Director, Colliers International Southeast Europe, initiated the project and is a trustee of the Colliers Kirinda Trust. “I am delighted that we have received this recognition from the Urban Land Institute. It underlines what an extraordinary achievement this is by Shigeru Ban, my colleagues in Colliers, and of course the people of Kirinda and our friends in Sri Lanka.”

The President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse, has welcomed the impact of the project. “The project has become the standard to compare with for ongoing tsunami reconstruction work in Sri Lanka.”

The 2008 Awards for Excellence: Asia Pacific winners were selected by a jury of renowned land use development and design experts: Jury chair Yasuhiko Watanabe; advisor, Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd., Tokyo; Ivana Benda, vice president/design director, Allied Architects International (Canada), Shanghai; Nicholas Brooke, chairman, Professional Property Services Ltd., Hong Kong; Silas Chiow, director of SOM China, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) Shanghai, Shanghai; Raj Menda, managing director, RMZ Corp., Bangalore.

The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a non-profit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 40,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

About Colliers International

Colliers International is a global affiliation of independently owned commercial real estate firms. The organization's 10,092 employees span the world in 267 offices in 57 countries. On a worldwide basis, Colliers manages 672,945,918 square feet, and has revenue of $US 1,620,958,349.

Contact Information More information about the Kirinda project can be found at www.collierskirinda.com.

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