Photo courtesy of Paul Warchol

SteelStacks, the arts and cultural campus located on the site of Bethlehem’s former Bethlehem Steel plant, has been honored with an Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Award for Excellence for its role in helping to redevelop one of the largest Brownfields in the nation.  The award was presented to Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Tony Hanna and ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks during ULI’s Fall Meeting in New York City Oct. 22.

SteelStacks was among the 13 real estate developments from around the world selected as winners in the 2014 ULI Global Awards for Excellence competition, widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program.  The winners included six projects in North America, four in Europe and three in Asia.

“The ULI Global Award for Excellence is a very prestigious honor, and we are proud to be included among some of the most creative and innovative land use and real estate development projects in the world,” says Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez. “We thank the Urban Land Institute and its jurying panel for recognizing SteelStacks for the unique role it is playing in revitalizing this former steel mill and our community.”

Opened in 2011, SteelStacks is a unique public-private partnership that is transforming one of the largest Brownfields under redevelopment in the nation into a dynamic destination for music, art, festivals and cultural events.  Public and nonprofit partners working together to bring new life to the former steel mill include the Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority, City of Bethlehem, Bethlehem Area School District, Northampton County, PBS39 and ArtsQuest. SteelStacks’ master site planning was done by Wallace Roberts & Todd, and architecture and landscape architecture were done by Artefact, Spillman Farmer Architects, URS Corporation, USA Architects and Wallace Roberts & Todd. Lighting at SteelStacks was done by L’Observatoire International and Speirs + Major.

“SteelStacks is an excellent example of how communities can work together to find creative solutions for reusing abandoned industrial sites and Brownfields,” says Hanna. “The unique combination of arts, culture and commerce at SteelStacks provides a special place for people to visit, learn and enjoy a wide variety of entertainment and community events.

“SteelStacks, as well as the adjacent Sands Casino Resort and its related development, will serve as catalysts for future development on the site and throughout Bethlehem’s SouthSide for years to come.”

The ULI Awards of Excellence, now in their 36th year, recognize real estate projects that achieve a high standard of excellence in design, construction, economics, planning and management.  The program is viewed as the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of real estate development. SteelStacks was one of 23 finalists nominated for a ULI global award this year; the 2014 Global Award for Excellence, along with the earlier ULI Philadelphia Award for Excellence, marks the first time the entire SteelStacks campus has been honored with a major award.

“When we announced the SteelStacks project in 2005, we said that we were going to create one of the most unique performance sites in the world,” says Parks. “The ULI Global Award for Excellence affirms that we have succeeded in our goal. It also affirms that the Lehigh Valley is well on its way to reclaiming its place in the constellation of vibrant, creative, economically successful American communities.“

The complete list of ULI Global Award for Excellence winners (developers and architects in parentheses) is:

• 300 East Randolph, Chicago, IL, USA (Developer: Walsh Higgins & Company; Designer: Goettsch Partners) – A two-phased, vertically expanded office tower located in the city’s East Loop district.
• Cedar Gateway Apartments, San Diego, CA, USA (Developer: ROEM Development Corporation and Squier Properties, LLC; Designer: Silber Architects) – An environmentally friendly, multifamily apartment complex constructed in contemporary design to complement adjacent downtown buildings.
• Corvin Promenade, Budapest, Hungary (Developer: Futureal Group; Designer: Futureal Group, Rév8, et al) – Regeneration project in the heart of Budapest, creating a civic center for the city’s 8th district.
• GLP Misato III, Misato City, Japan (Developer: Global Logistic Properties; Designer: Global Logistic Properties, et al) – A state of the art, environmentally conscious logistic facility that aims for both business efficiency and environmental awareness.
• Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, Long Beach, CA, USA (Developer: Long Beach Judicial Partners LLC/Meridiam Infrastructure; Designer: AECOM) – An environmentally friendly, public building delivered through an innovative public-private partnership.
• Mercado do Bom Sucesso, Porto, Portugal (Developer: Urban Market Company et al; Designer: Ferreira de Almeida, Arquitectos LDA) – A renovated mixed-use, public building that incorporates its original function as a fresh good market with retail, hotels, and commercial space.
• Sixty London, London, UK (Developer: Bath House Development Limited; Designer: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates) – Commercial office space that incorporates one of the area’s historic stone gatehouses.
• SteelStacks Art and Cultural Campus, Bethlehem, PA, USA (Developer: Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority; Designer: Wallace Roberts & Todd, et al) – A renovated public arts focused campus that incorporates the city’s old steel works.
• Tamar Development Project, Hong Kong, China (Developer: Chief Secretary for Administration’s Office, HKSAR Government; Designer: Rocco Design Architects Ltd.) – An intricate complex facility that incorporates various government buildings along the city’s water front and harbor.
• The Brewery Blocks, Portland, OR, USA (Developer: Gerding Edlen; Designer: GBD Architects Incorporated) – A sustainable mixed-use urban community that renovated and created a neighborhood in a deteriorating warehouse district.
• The Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA, USA (Developer: Wilson Meany; Designer: EHDD Architecture) – An environmentally friendly development project on a historical site that now houses an internationally renowned museum of science.
• Tjuvholmen, Oslo Norway (Developer: Tjuvholmen KS/AS; Designer: HRTB AS Arkitekter Mnal, et al) – A new development project that renovates and recovers the city’s waterfront.
• Zuellig Building, Makati City, Philippines (Developer: Bridgebury Realty Corporation; Designer: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, et al) – A sustainable, office development designed as rental property for multi-tenant use.

Jurors for the 2014 ULI Awards for excellence were chair M. Leanne Lachman, president of real estate consulting firm Lachman Associates in New York, N.Y.; Glenn Aaronson, managing partner, Aevitas Property Partners; chairman, Forum Turkey Fund, Amsterdam, Netherlands; William Bonstra, partner, Bonstra Haresign Architects, Washington, D.C.; Terrall Budge, principal and owner, Loci, Salt Lake City, Utah; Michael Covarrubias, chairman and chief executive officer, TMG Partners, San Francisco, Calif.; David Dixon, urban design leader, Stantec Consulting, Ltd., Boston, Mass.; Dr. Sujata S. Govada, managing director, UDP International, Hyderabad, India; Jason Hellendrung, principal, Sasaki Associates, Watertown, Mass.; Jeff Kingsbury, managing principal, Greenstreet Ltd., Indianapolis, Ind.; Jacinta McCann, executive vice president, AECOM, San Francisco, Calif.; Steve Navarro, executive vice president, President and CEO, the Furman Co, Greenville, S.C.; and Trini M. Rodriguez, principal, Parker Rodriguez, Inc., Alexandria, Va.