Wesgroup, CBRE Lead The Awards Charge

So you wake up on May 1—called “May Day” around the world—and learn your company has copped five nominations in the upcoming NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Awards of Excellence, right up there among the leaders. (Before or after breakfast?)

They weren’t serving cake at Wesgroup Properties last week, but there were a few high fives. The company received nominations in the Industrial Development (Fed Ex), Mixed-Use Development (The Prescott, image), David Wesik was nominated for Developing Leader, and they had two in the Office Development category (The Prescott and Building One at the Brewery District). Wesgroup's Amy Medard de Chardon says the Brewery District's "innovative land use policy" provided flexibility to build a LEED-certified head office with 94% efficient floor plates. "The Prescott (now the home of Blue Shore Financial) was built on a former brownfield site," she says.

The NAIOP Vancouver/BIV gala (image) will be held May 28 at the Fairmont Waterfront. NAIOP Vancouver executive director Darlene Hyde tells us this was a particularly bountiful year when it came to submissions—over 80 for the seven awards categories. “There was a great deal of interest this time,” she says. “It’s very coveted.” (Trophy cases are very in vogue right now.) CBRE had seven nominations; Colliers had five. For a full list of nominees head to the NAIOP Vancouver website. 

Hungerford Properties’ Albion Fisheries’ new HQ in Richmond (image) was nominated in the Industrial Development category, a sustainable, state-of-the-art seafood processing plant built by the company. The 65k SF building has many of the “green” bells and whistles, making it “award-worthy,” Hungerford partner Michael Hungerford tells Bisnow—reflective white Thermoplastic Polyolefin, a roof that reduces the heat island effect, low-E glazing (which sounds like a delicious donut), efficient refrigeration system, permeable paving and landscaping with trees that provide a canopy over vehicle areas. “Most industrial buildings are simple boxes,” he says. “This one sets new standards for sustainability, as well as for health and cleanliness from an operations standpoint.”

Avison Young was nominated in the Office Lease category for the MNP relocation. The 245k SF MNP Tower on West Hastings is one of nine new towers under construction in the core. MNP took 72k SF in the Oxford-developed tower. AY principal Bill Elliott says the business advisory services company “stepped out of the box” by rethinking traditional horizontal planning on larger floor plates to “departmental planning on a vertical basis on a smaller floor plate.” There was also their decision to secure corporate branding on one of Vancouver’s prominent waterfront office towers, Bill says. MNP was proactive in working with the landlord to create flexibility to meet both the tenant’s and landlord’s business objectives over a longer-term lease, creating a real “business and operating partnership.” These are some of the things that make the deal unique, Bill says.

Then there’s Ivanhoe Cambridge’s Guildford Town Centre, a $280M investment in the City of Surrey, nominated in the Retail Development category. Ivanhoe’s VP western development Graeme Silvera says the project is set to take full advantage of the long-term growth of the market south of the Fraser. The expansion is now into its third phase, which consists of renovating and re-merchandising the vacant space that was created as a result of the successful launch of Phase Two last summer, “which enticed many of our existing tenants to expand into the shiny new wing that was created.” (Space is a lot like iPhones, you need to have the most up-to-date one or everyone laughs at you.) Graeme is snapped with Kevin Chan from London Pacific Property.

Graeme points to technology like the “living wall” throughout the building that acts as a barrier shielding the building from solar radiation and heat penetration, improving energy efficiency, as a game-changer. (Didn't Superman have the power to do that? Guess this was easier than hiring him.) Over 50 new stores were added to the centre’s merchandise mix in over 200k SF of leasable area, including 13 first-to-market retailers—Apple, Aritzia, Guess, Victoria’s Secret, to name a few. “It’s been a game changer for the consumers,” he says.