ULI Global Development Showcase

By ROSE HUNG

4 September, 2024

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Australia hosted the Global Development Showcase on August 1 at Urbanity , a premier urban development conference presented by The Urban Developer . A special thanks to Andrew Coward , ULI Australia National Councillor and Sydney District Council Chair, for moderating the showcase. This event convened some of the brightest minds in urban development from around the world, offering a platform for sharing knowledge, exchanging ideas, and presenting transformative projects that are reshaping cities.

The showcase highlighted an impressive array of international practitioners from London, Toronto, Shanghai, and Singapore. The featured projects, which have earned prestigious industry awards such as the ULI Global Excellence Award , demonstrated innovative approaches to urban development. The presentations emphasized a commitment to sustainability, heritage revitalization, and the creation of walkable communities.

Revitalizing Heritage: The Transformation of London’s Battersea Power Station Estate

Benn Zemek , CFO of Battersea Power Station and Director at One Earth Property , shared the inspiring transformation of the Battersea Power Station Estate. This iconic London landmark has been revitalized into a vibrant mixed-use development, seamlessly blending historic preservation with modern urban living. The project exemplifies the power of adaptive reuse, preserving cultural heritage while meeting contemporary urban needs.

The development is divided into eight phases, each crafted by specialist architects. The Power Station, which opened to the public on October 14, 2022, is the second phase. This mixed-use building features 540,000 square feet of office space, including Apple’s London Campus. The historic turbine halls now house 420,000 square feet of retail and dining spaces, including a 24,000-square-foot food hall on the upper deck. Additionally, 254 apartments, serviced by a glass chimney lift, offer a state-of-the-art lifestyle experience.

The Battersea Power Station project has achieved remarkable success in its residential launches across Phases 1, 2, and 3a, generating over ￡2.5 billion in sales proceeds. It includes a ￡1 billion extension, structured as the largest Tax Increment Finance Scheme in the UK, and marks the first extension of the London Underground in 80 years. With more than ￡3.5 billion invested in construction, the site employed over 4,000 workers, operated 30 tower cranes, and commanded 20% of the London procurement market.

Securing Apple’s 500,000-square-foot pre-let amid Brexit uncertainties was a major milestone. The project team adeptly managed risks and optimized performance through capital transactions, successfully reopening after COVID-19 challenges. Today, Battersea Power Station is London’s premier A-list address, attracting over 11 million visitors in its first year. With more than ￡2 billion in commercial assets, 90% of which are leased, the project has won over 76 industry awards across development, planning, construction, and finance.

One Museum Place Shanghai

Kitty Cheung , ESG Director at 汉斯 Greater China, offered an insightful overview of @One Museum Place, a landmark project in Shanghai that exemplifies the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles in urban development. By emphasizing sustainability and innovative design, One Museum Place sets a new standard for forward-thinking developments in one of the world’s most dynamic cities.

The 1.4 million-square-foot, 60-story office tower features a six-story retail podium and is strategically located next to the Natural History Museum and Jing’an Sculpture Park. This addition to the Jing’an skyline includes an indoor Winter Garden that connects the Pavilion and Office Lobby, offering year-round weatherproof and thermally controlled accessibility. Since inheriting the project from the original Jing’an District Design in 2012, Hines has optimized the floor plan and reconstructed the basement to enhance design standards and efficiency. The tower’s 3-degree inclined curtain wall fa?ade minimizes reflectivity, contributing to both aesthetic appeal and environmental performance.

One Museum Place has earned sustainability certifications, including GRESB 5 stars, LEED, WELL Platinum, and RESET C&S, making it one of Shanghai’s first office towers to achieve these accolades. The building features a rainwater treatment system, solar panels with a 150 kW capacity, intelligent LED lighting with daylight dimming, and a VAV A/C system to enhance energy efficiency. It is also the first commercial project in Shanghai to receive RESET? Air Certification, thanks to its air purifying units and a dedicated indoor air quality manager.

Aligned with Hines' global target of achieving net-zero operational carbon by 2040, One Museum Place has undergone a climate scenario analysis to assess potential physical and transition risks. Kitty also introduced Hines' T3 concept—Timber, Transit, and Technology—which uses sustainably sourced timber from managed forests and incorporates cutting-edge technology to ensure exceptional efficiency in construction.

ULI has released a case study on One Museum Place, you can download the document from ULI Knowledge Finder here .

CapitaSpring Singapore by CapitaLand

Giovanni Cossu , Head of Sustainability, and Gregory Yueh Shian Chua , Vice President of Project Management at 凯德 , showcased CapitaSpring, an innovative development in Singapore that integrates nature with urban living. Standing 280 meters tall, CapitaSpring exemplifies how sustainability can be embedded into the core of urban design. The tower offers a vertically connected environment for work, living, and leisure, featuring 635,000 square feet of premium Grade A office space with 22,000 square feet of column-free floor plates, and 299 serviced apartments in its mid-levels. Its striking fa?ade, with orthogonal pin-striped fins, introduces pockets of greenery that redefine the city skyline.

CapitaSpring also includes a fine-dining concept and Singapore’s highest urban farm at the Sky Garden, providing panoramic views of the city. Its co-working floors, spanning 70,000 square feet across three levels and operated by The Work Project, offer integrated core and flex solutions. The Green Oasis, a four-story sanctuary with lush landscapes, connects tenants with nature and hosts activities like yoga, gym sessions, and community events. The building celebrates Singapore's UNESCO-recognized Hawker Culture with a Food Center on levels 2 and 3, offering authentic street food. Advanced technologies such as Wi-Fi, facial recognition, smart car finding, smart toilets, robotic facility management, smart lockers, and centralized dishwashing enhance the user experience.

Having achieved a high pre-commitment occupancy of 93% by the time of its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP), CapitaSpring is now fully leased to office and retail tenants. Its diverse tenant mix includes firms from financial services, banking, IT, media, real estate, legal, and logistics sectors. The project has garnered impressive market acceptance, even during the challenging COVID-19 period.

15-Minute Communities: Accelerating Decarbonization and Enhancing Housing Affordability

Yvonne Yeung MBA PMP MCIP RPP LEED AP , Vice President of Development at Infrastructure Ontario, and Morrigan McGregor , Senior Vice President of Energy Planning and Development at Enwave Energy Corporation , discussed how 15-minute communities can play a crucial role in accelerating decarbonization, enhancing housing affordability, and mitigating climate risks through walkable designs. They highlighted the importance of creating neighborhoods where essential services are accessible within a 15-minute walk, which promotes sustainability and improves residents' quality of life.

The 15-minute community concept focuses on developing compact, walkable urban areas that promote social equity, affordability, and environmental sustainability. By integrating mixed-use developments with coordinated infrastructure planning across environmental, community, mobility, and energy systems, these communities aim to reduce carbon emissions, enhance public health, and foster inclusivity. Yeung shared the ULI 15-minute leadership strategy's goal to develop over 10 billion square feet of 15-minute communities by 2030. The "Building 15-Minute Communities: A Leadership Guide" outlines strategies for aligning leadership actions with innovative initiatives, fostering partnerships across government, real estate, and nonprofit sectors, and transforming various urban geographies—including metro regions, downtowns, and suburbs—into networks of 15-minute communities. The guide emphasizes a shift from car-centric to people-centric planning, seizing the opportunity to reshape urban infrastructure for a more sustainable future. You can download the report from ULI Knowledge Finder here .

Morrigan McGregor of Enwave also shared how the company collaborates with municipalities, planners, developers, and building owners to implement district energy solutions at the community level. By participating in early-stage master planning, Enwave integrates optimized sustainable energy networks into community designs, enabling connected buildings to leverage the scalability of district energy systems and making sustainable energy solutions more viable. For example, Enwave is partnering with the City of Toronto to develop a low-carbon thermal energy network for the Etobicoke Civic Centre Precinct , with goals to achieve a 65% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2040 through a geoexchange system. Similarly, Enwave is working with Lakeview Community Partners Limited to establish a wastewater energy recovery system at Lakeview Village Village, converting a 177-acre brownfield site into a sustainable mixed-use community aligned with Mississauga's carbon reduction objectives. Additionally, Enwave collaborated with Mattamy Homes in Markham to develop a geoexchange system for a 300-home residential development, targeting over 90% GHG reduction and supporting the City of Markham's ambition to become a net-zero emissions city by 2050.

A Global Community Committed to Transformative Impact

ULI Australia is dedicated to shaping the future of the built environment with a transformative global perspective. Events like the ULI Global Development Showcase unite thought leaders around ideas that influence the future of cities and drive their transformation. The discussion on the latest developments and the decarbonization of our cities will continue to evolve at future ULI events.

Join ULI today to be part of this crucial dialogue and help shape the future here .