Raffles City Hangzhou conferred World Gold Winner of Retail Category at 2019 FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards
Singapore, 31 May 2019 – Raffles City Hangzhou, CapitaLand’s largest operational Raffles City development, has been named the World Gold Winner in the Retail Category at the prestigious 2019 FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards held in Moscow, Russia on 30 May 2019. This follows the footsteps of ION Orchard in Singapore and Raffles City Chengdu in China, which won in the same Retail Category in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Raffles City Hangzhou is the only commercial development from China feted at this year’s Awards.
The annual FIABCI Awards, dubbed the Oscars of real estate, recognise projects that exemplify excellence in all the disciplines of real estate, such as best practices in sustainability and positive contributions made to the community. It is considered one of the most reliable indicators of a development’s worth and its impact on the future of commercial real estate.
Mr Lucas Loh, President & CEO of China, CapitaLand Group, said: “We are honoured that Raffles City Hangzhou has received the highest accolade in the Retail Category at the 2019 FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards, which celebrates the crème de la crème of real estate projects around the globe. This is the second Raffles City development in China after Raffles City Chengdu to clinch the prestigious award, underscoring the high and consistent quality of our signature Raffles City portfolio.”
“CapitaLand is continually pushing the boundaries of urban development with smart, sustainable and human-centric designs that add value to the communities it operates in. With Raffles City Hangzhou, we set out to create a landmark development in the new city centre that will serve as the heart of civic and commercial activities. We are heartened that Raffles City Hangzhou has not only achieved commercial success since its opening, it has received recognition from global industry experts. As CapitaLand marks 25 years in China this year, we remain firmly committed to meeting the changing needs and aspirations of Chinese consumers as the country enters new stages of urbanisation and urban renewal.”
About Raffles City Hangzhou
A 250-metre-tall landmark development in Qianjiang New Town – Hangzhou’s municipal, commercial and leisure centre – Raffles City Hangzhou brings together six different components comprising a shopping mall, Grade A office, luxury residences, SOHO apartments, the high-end Ascott Raffles City Hangzhou serviced residence and the five-star Conrad Hangzhou hotel. Raffles City Hangzhou enjoys the distinction as the largest operational Raffles City development with close to 300,000 square metres in gross floor area excluding car park.
Designed by world-renowned architect Ben van Berkel of UNStudio, Raffles City Hangzhou features two gently-rotating towers inspired by the ebb and flow of the iconic Qiantang River nearby. At 60 storeys high, the twin towers offer stunning 360-degree views of Hangzhou’s new Central Business District along the Qiantang River. The distinctive curtain wall of the towers is made up of more than 10,000 pieces of glass panels of varying dimensions and more than 100,000 aluminium panels, which contribute to the unique visual effect of the building changing appearance under various light conditions and at different angles.
Raffles City Hangzhou is the first project in China’s Zhejiang Province to fully utilise the Building Information Modelling technology in its construction. It is also the first integrated development in Zhejiang Province to be designed and constructed in accordance with the United States’ LEED-CS (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Core & Shell) gold standard. Innovative green features are incorporated throughout its design to enhance energy efficiency. For example, its shopping mall is the first in China to use natural ventilation on a large scale. To adapt to the local climate, solar gain and daylighting concepts are applied, while its efficient structure lowered the amount of materials used in construction and overall energy consumption.
Since opening in May 2017, Raffles City Hangzhou has become a favourite with local residents as well as domestic and overseas travellers for its curated retail offerings, which include a wide collection of fashion, dining and entertainment options. Raffles City Hangzhou has introduced popular international brands, flagship stores and new-to-market brands to Hangzhou. They include bubble tea chain store HEYTEA, lifestyle bookstore Yanjiyou, education service provider EDU Mall and Golden Sky cineplex. The shopping mall has maintained a high committed occupancy of about 97% since opening. Besides shopping, residents, office tenants, and visitors can also enjoy fine-dining, spa and hospitality services at the serviced residence and hotel. Coupled with vibrant community spaces and lush landscaping within and around the whole development, Raffles City Hangzhou is a must-visit lifestyle destination in the city.
Raffles City Hangzhou flythrough (Credit: UNStudio, Dezeen)