HOUSTON—The Houston District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) awarded BG Group Place and Historic Fire Station No. 6 with the 2014 Development of Distinction Award at last nights' ceremony.

ULI Houston's annual award ceremony honors developments that “exemplify best practices in design, construction, economic viability, community health, marketing and management,” said the organization.

“This year's Development of Distinction presented one of the strongest fields of finalists we've seen,” said Greg Erwin ULI Houston Chair. “Each winner is an outstanding example of the 'complete real estate project' and has truly brought about positive impact on our community.”

BG Group Place took home the award in the For-Profit Category. The 46-story, 972,474 square-foot office tower developed by Hines is located in Houston's Central Business District.  The building which delivered in 2011, transformed downtown not only with its design but sustainability practices. BG Group Place was awarded LEED Platinum by the United States Green Building Council making it the only LEED Platinum CBD high-rise in Texas.

“BG Group Place reset the whole center of downtown,” said Mark Cover, Senior Managing Director and CEO of the Southwest Region with Hines.

Additionally, ULI Houston awarded Historic Fire Station No. 6 with the award in the same category as the judges felt compelled to recognize the privately-funded project completed on a smaller scale.

The fire station on Washington Avenue was built in 1903 and was one of the original ten fire houses built in Houston. The building had fallen into disrepair until the Axiom design firm led by President Tom Hair repurposed the structure into office space for the firm.

“I could tell when the judges visited the space they felt the passion that I put into the project. I made decisions for the benefit of the building, even when it wasn't for the benefit of the budget,” said Hair.

James Berry Elementary School was named winner in the Non-Profit Category. The school, developed and owned by the Houston Independent School District, was honored for the impact on the surrounding community and purposeful environmental educational programs in place.

Winner in the People's Choice Category was Friends For Life- The Don Sanders Adoption Center, an animal shelter in the Houston Heights neighborhood. The shelter remains the only LEED certified animal shelter in Houston and one of only a few in the country.  The design, by Gensler, focused on natural light and a harmony between animals and humans.

For the first year ULI Houston awarded a Vision Award for Exemplary Leadership to The Woodlands Development Company for The Woodlands Master Plan. The organization honored The Woodlands Master Plan for the successes on a scale deserving a special category.

“This is the story of a developer who took a risk, established a set of principles and stuck to them, even when it was very difficult, said the ULI Houston Award Nomination Panel. “ The rewards of this bold and visionary commitment are enjoyed today, not just by those who worked on the development, but by generations whose lives are enriched by inhabiting the Woodlands.”

The jury for this year's awards included Eric Swanson, director of real estate investment at Odebrect in Miami, Sean M. Wilson, director of Jacobs' Advance Planning Group in Atlanta, and Felix Ciampa, executive director with the Urban Land Institute in New York.