HPP Senior Partner Volker Weuthen accepted the award with Wolfram Schön, Construction Manager at Hines, at a formal ceremony in Berlin’s ewerk on 19 November 2021. The win means that the former Commerzbank tower block - now Ruby Hotel - is one of two German projects to qualify for the FIABCI Prix d’Excellence International Awards 2022. The tower block in central Dusseldorf was stripped back to a shell, fully refurbished and future-proofed for use as a hotel. Structural deficits meant that the building could no longer meet current standards for contemporary office organisation. But use as a hotel, on the other hand, was very feasible and has been excellently realised with the tenant RUBY.
The FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Awards, dubbed the “Oscars of the Global Property World” by the Wall Street Journal, have been rewarding outstanding property projects around the world since 1992 and have become one of the most respected prizes for international building projects. In Germany, the award is given in a cooperation between FIABCI (International Real Estate Federation) and the German association of independent property companies, BFW Bundesverband Freier Immobilien- und Wohnungsunternehmen e.V.. “(...) the ability to plan and build with efficiency, innovation and also elegance is a major challenge. The winners demonstrate impressively that outstanding project developments can still be realised”, stressed Andreas Ibel, President of the BFW and chair of the jury.
