Press Release - November 18th 2005
Zubiarte and Luz del Tajo compete in two different categories
Sonae Sierra shopping centres nominated for the ICSC Awards
Two of Sonae Sierra's shopping centres, the Luz del Tajo in Toledo and the Zubiarte in Bilbao, are nominated for the 2006 European Shopping Centre Awards, held by the International Council of Shopping Centre Awards (ICSC Europe), on the occasion of its 31st European Convention, which will take place next April in Copenhagen.
The new shopping centres Luz del Tajo and Zubiarte will be competing, respectively, in the "Small New Centres" and "Large New Centres" categories. The nomination of these two developments is an important acknowledgment, which consolidates Sonae Sierra's position as the most internationally awarded company in the sector, having been honoured, every year since 1997, with an ICSC award, besides other distinctions from different institutions connected to the sector.
Inaugurated in September 2004, the Luz del Tajo, Toledo's first shopping and leisure centre, offers 130 shops, seven of which are anchor shops, and has a catchment area of 240.000 people less than 30 minutes away, welcoming about 6,5 million annual visits.
The architectural design of the Luz del Tajo, created by an international team of specialists, lead by José Quintela da Fonseca, from Sonae Sierra, recreates the spirit of the city of Toledo, through the use of colours, materials and the prevalence of natural light. In the conception stage of the project, the local architectural concepts were taken into account, and the Luz del Tajo is perfectly integrated in its surroundings.
Located in the region of Abandoibarra, the Zubiarte, inaugurated in November 2004, is surrounded by the Deusto Bridge, the new Lehendakari streets and the Abandoibarra Avenue. It has a catchment area of 1.150.000 people and is welcoming 9 million annual visits.
Zubiarte's architectural project, by Robert A. M. Stern, has taken into account the design style of the nearby buildings, such as the Guggenheim Museum, the Euskaldana Palace, the Deusto University and the Fine Arts Museum. The centre has a semi-circular shape and is composed of six different buildings interconnected by pavements at different levels, thus becoming an extension of the public streets.
The ICSC Awards are considered the most prestigious awards in the shopping and leisure centre sector, and acknowledge every year the best developments in Europe. The jury is composed of the most proeminent authorities in this area.
Sonae Sierra, www.sonaesierra.com, is the international shopping centre specialist that is passionate about bringing innovation and excitement to the shopping and leisure industry. The company owns or co-owns 36 shopping centres in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Brazil, with a total Gross Lettable Area (GLA) of more than 1,5 million m2. Currently, Sonae Sierra is development 14 more projects in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Brazil, with a total GLA of more than 540.000 m2.