Throughout its history, the International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc. (ICSC) has recognized and honored the shopping center industry's most cutting-edge, innovative solutions and creative responses to market trends, as well as outstanding examples of design and development through its Global Awards programs. As part of the shopping center industry's premier awards competition, ICSC announces that ATRIO, Villach, Austria, has won a Design Award in its annual International Design and Development Awards competition.
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The ICSC International Design and Development Awards winners.
Since its inauguration in 1977, the ICSC International Design and Development Awards program has recognized outstanding projects for excellence in the creation of new retail projects, and in the expansion or redevelopment of existing projects, both internationally and domestically. This year, there were 63 entries representing 25 countries in the competition.
ICSC announced the winners of its 32nd Design and Development Awards last evening at a gala awards ceremony during ICSC's CenterBuild Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. The annual competition focuses on two general categories: Innovative Design and Construction of a New Project and Renovation or Expansion of an Existing Project. ATRIO won its award in the Innovative Design and Construction of a New Project and Renovation category. In this category, entries can include a project involving an entire shopping center, such as an enclosure, or a single entries must relate to a specific new shopping center, completed and opened within a 24-month period; July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2007; and demonstrate how a specific design or construction problem was solved or how new standards in design and construction were established.
"Senza confini," or "without borders" is the theme of ATRIO effectively adopting the motto of Austria, Italy and Slovenia's cross-border Olympic bid. Its architecture addresses and newly interprets the notion of the crossing of borders in the wider tri-country region. Multi-cultural design is the end result here, reborn in both the center's name and its central plaza as a focal point. Its design arranges the mall and the INTERSPAR hypermarket around this glazed plaza, effectively creating a new urban square for Villach. ATRIO is owned and developed by SES Spar European Shopping Centers. Filipa Fernandes and Christoph Andexlinger were in Phoenix picking the award and as Filipa said: "The recognition of our high standards give us even more strength and passion to develop unique and sustainable projects".
Winners in the 32nd International Design and Development Awards will automatically be eligible to win ICSC's Global "Best-of-the-Best" Award which will recognize the shopping center industry's most outstanding examples of cutting-edge properties, innovative solutions and creative responses to market trends throughout the world. These awards will be given during a gala awards ceremony during "A Night of Stars" at ICSC's annual convention, RECon, being held May 17-20, 2009.
Founded in 1957, ICSC is the premier global trade association of the shopping center ind
