Guoson Centre wins Best International Mixed-use Development

LONDON: Guoson Centre, the flagship project of GuocoLand (China) Limited (GLC) has won "Best International Mixed-use Development" at the International Property Awards in association with Bloomberg Television 2010.

Guoson Centre is a sustainable and fully-integrated development brand in Beijing. Comprising a large-scale cosmopolitan mall known as Guoson Mall, five-star British-styled Guoman Hotels, Grade A Office Towers, high-end residences, and expansive Singapore-inspired "Garden City" landscaping, Guoson Centre combines aspects of "Work, Live, Play" in resembling a city within a city.

Built specifically on prime locations that integrate two of the largest transportation hubs in the world, Guoson Centre provides local, national, and global interconnectivity while satisfying the market's needs for eco-friendly environments and cosmopolitan lifestyles. These were major contributing factors in delivering the win to Guoson Centre.

A Guoson Centre has also been emulated in Changfeng, Shanghai. The 500,000 sq m is located at the crossroads of the business zones of Zhongshan Park, Gubei and Hongqiao and only 10-minute drive from the Hongqiao transportation hub. It will also include a Guoson Mall, a Guoman Hotel and office and residential buildings.

Present to witness the event included the Minister of the Chinese Embassy to the United Kingdom, the High Commissioner of Malaysia to the United Kingdom, the Deputy High Commissioner & Counselor of Singapore to the United Kingdom and the group managing director of GuocoLand China Violet Lee, who initiated the project.

The judging panel comprises 51 professionals and experts in the real estate field. Stiff regional competitions from earlier in the year determine the nominees from each of the following: the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe & Africa, Arabia, and the UK, with Guoson Centre representing Asia-Pacific. The remaining entries then go on to face each other on the absolute grandest of stages for the crowning of "Best International".

Lee said the award is a milestone for GLC, and a prelude to greater investments in a country that continues to have enormous market potential.

"Winning this award strengthens our confidence in China's real estate market, as well as in developing large-scale integrated mixed-use developments," she said in a statement on Sunday, Nov 28. "We believe that projects of this kind add value not only to the region and its people, but also to the whole country. It shows our commitment to long-term ownership, long-term management, and long-term operations in China."

Within short walking distance to Shanghai Guoson Centre, the company recently tendered successfully for another site, the Plot 9 Area, for 3.04 billion yuan (RM1.44 billion), and aims to create a healthy and sustainable residential development. This project has increased GLC's investments to an estimated US$3.5 billion (RM11.06 billion) in China, with a growing land resource of 2.5 million sq m in the booming cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Tianjin.

GuocoLand China, established in 1994, is the property arm of Hong Leong Group. Earlier this year, GLC successfully launched the five-star Guoman Hotel Shanghai, and is now putting the final touches on its Guoson Mall brand, signaling its intent to venture into the realm of hotel and retail operations. This sets a benchmark in China for self-operated and self-sustained brand management among integrated projects.