HOUSTON – Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that its Founder and Chairman, Gerald D. Hines, has received an honorary professorship at the Tongji University Architectural Design and Research Institute in Shanghai.
Mr. Hines received the honor at the University on August 28 in front of an audience of 300 graduate students, architectsand faculty after he shared a presentation on his career highlights.Mr. Wu Jiang, vice president of Tongji University, presented the honorary professorship certificate to Mr. Hines on behalf of the University. Tongji University is a leading college in China with 50,000 students enrolled, including 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students studying at its School of Architecture.
“It is our great honor to have a panel discussion with Mr. Hines at Tongji University and grant him our honorary professorship,” Jiang said.
Last month, Hines announced that it was chosen as the successful bidder for Site #60in Shanghai’s prestigious Jing An business district. The firm also announced plans to develop Jing An Tower,a 54-story mixed-use project, on the parcel. A team from the Tongji University Design Institute is currently involved in creating the working drawings for that project.
Gerald Hines also holds honorary doctorates from Purdue University and the University of Houston, and is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
Hines entered the Chinese real estate market in 1996. The firm has completed or has under construction more than eight million square feet in China – two million of which is in Shanghai and includes the 50-story 21st Century Tower in Pudong, which houses Shanghai’s newest Four Seasons Hotel.
Founded in 1958, the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongji University, is one of the leading design institutes in China with the most complete range of design research and the greatest strength in professional design. It holds certificates in architecture design, urban design, bridge and motorway design, geotechnical design, geological design, landscaping, gardening, pollution prevention certificates that are issued by the State Ministry of Construction of China, and a certificate in Engineering Consulting issued by the State Planning and Development Committee. The Design Institute has a strong team of designers. Among its 661 employees, there are 98 State First-Class Registered Architects, 115 State First-Class Registered Structural Engineers, nine State Registered Cost Engineers and over 100 senior engineers. Since 1986, the Institute has won over 100 prizes for its design work. Among these works, the Tongji University Yifu Building won the silver medal in the 7th National Best Engineering Design Awards and the Ningshou Mansion in Shanghai won the bronze medal in the 9th National Awards for Survey and Design. The Institute's design for the north part of Xintiandi won the first prize in the Shanghai Awards for Survey and Design in 2001.
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,273 properties representing more than 514 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. Currently, Hines manages 406 properties totaling 148.5 million square feet, which includes 78.3 million square feet for third parties. With offices in 113 cities in 18 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $24.3 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Hines is also a world leader in sustainable real estate strategies, with extensive experience in LEED®, ENERGY STAR®, BREEAM, Haute Qualité Environnementale and DGNB green building rating systems. Visit www.hines.com for more information.