Empresas y finanzas

Hines and DLF Announce Joint Venture to Develop Major Office Tower within Master-Planned, Mixed-Use Complex in Gurgaon



    The New Delhi office of Hines, the international real estate firm,
    and DLF Ltd., India's largest real estate company, announced today the
    signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a venture to
    master plan and develop a site of 15 acres located on Golf Course Road
    in Gurgaon, India. The site is located directly across from the DLF
    Golf Course and its residential community known as DLF Golf Links.

    Hines and DLF also announced the selection of the internationally
    renowned firm Robert A.M. Stern Architects, to develop a master plan
    for the entire site as well as design the first phase of the complex,
    a major 30-story office tower of 80,000 square meters (860,800 square
    feet) together with ground-floor retail space and a garage. This is
    the first project in India for Hines and Stern. Previously, the firms
    have collaborated on several projects in the United States, Mexico and
    Brazil.

    In addition to the office tower, the master plan is likely to
    include high-end retail shops, restaurant and entertainment venues, a
    hotel, and landscaped exterior and interior public spaces. It may also
    include serviced apartments and a second office tower. The total
    mixed-use complex is envisioned to include approximately 235,000
    square meters (2.5 million square feet) of construction.

    "We are proud that our first development project in India will be
    in partnership with DLF," said Daniel MacEachron, managing director of
    Hines India Real Estate Pvt. Ltd. "Golf Course Road is the premier
    address in Gurgaon. DLF, Hines and Robert Stern share a vision that
    this project should be the best-conceived and best-executed project in
    Northern India."

    "Our goal is to create a truly unique complex," said Rajiv Singh,
    DLF's vice chairman. "Through a combination of exceptional design
    provided by Bob Stern and his talented team, and the experience Hines
    brings in the conceptualization and development of major urban
    mixed-use projects in cities around the world, we feel we are
    partnering with a world-class combination of talent. When completed,
    this complex will be the heart of Gurgaon, commercially and as a
    social-gathering destination."

    "We are extremely enthusiastic to have the opportunity to enter
    the Indian market with the commission for such a major urban complex,"
    said Robert Stern.

    DLF is the largest and leading real estate development company in
    India. DLF was established in New Delhi in 1946. In its initial years
    the company undertook the development of various prestigious South
    Delhi colonies such as South Extension and Greater Kailash. Today DLF
    is a major player across India, with presence in 31 cities. DLF's
    projects span the entire gamut of real estate development -
    residential, commercial, retail, hotels, infrastructure and Special
    Economic Zone (SEZ) developments. The firm's real estate experience
    includes over 220 million square feet of existing development and over
    600 million square feet of planned projects.

    DLF's office building division is one of the group's most admired
    business lines. With nearly 32 million square feet of developed
    buildings, as well as ongoing projects, the office sector is a
    significant contributor to DLF's rapid rate of growth as an
    organization. The company has undertaken the development of 22 urban
    colonies, as well as an entire integrated 3,000-acre township, known
    as DLF City in Gurgaon. DLF is committed to quality, trust and
    customer sensitivity, as well as delivering on its promises with
    agility and financial prudence. In September 2006 DLF was the only
    real estate firm amongst the 60 businesses named Superbrands of India
    in the real estate category.

    Robert A.M. Stern Architects is a 300-person firm of architects,
    landscape architects, interior designers and supporting staff. Over
    its 38-year history, the firm has established an international
    reputation as a leading design firm with wide experience in
    residential, commercial and institutional work. Stern is Dean of the
    Yale School of Architecture. As founder and Senior Partner he
    personally directs the design of each of the firm's projects. Other
    senior members of the design team who will be working on the Golf
    Course Road project include Graham Wyatt, partner, who has been with
    the firm since 1983 and Meghan McDermott, associate partner, who has
    been with the firm since 1997.

    Hines is a privately owned real estate firm actively engaged in
    real estate development, investment and property management worldwide,
    with presence in 15 countries and offices in 96 cities across the
    globe. The Hines portfolio of projects underway, completed, acquired
    and managed, includes more than 950 properties representing
    approximately 380 million square feet. Total assets currently under
    management are valued at approximately USD 16 billion.