NEW YORK, NY – Related Companies has been named by Fast Company as one of the world’s 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2017 – an annual list that honors leading innovators that demonstrate the best in business and impactful creation. Fast Company compiles the list by surveying thousands of enterprises across the globe to identify the most distinguished innovations of the year and trace the impact of those initiatives.
Related is the only real estate developer to make this year’s Top 50 list and was recognized for Hudson Yards, which Fast Company dubbed “a new model for urban revival.” Other honorees on this year’s list include Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Snap (Snapchat), Slack, Spotify and Uber.
Jeff Blau, CEO of Related Companies, said: “We are extremely proud to be named to Fast Company’s 2017 list of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the world and join an esteemed list of global leaders. From our very founding we have worked hard to foster a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation and extend those efforts throughout our developments and various businesses.”
Related is currently developing the more than 18 million sq. ft. Hudson Yards project on Manhattan’s West Side, where it is redefining not only the way people work and live, but the landscape and skyline of New York City. The development is creating an entirely new neighborhood and encompasses multiple innovative smart city initiatives. Hudson Yards will be a sustainable and efficient neighborhood, bringing together an extraordinary collaboration of buildings, streets, utilities and public spaces to create the most connected, clean, efficient and responsive neighborhood ever built. The development will generate enough power to keep on site building services, residences and restaurants running in the event of a super storm or brown out, while the waste management system allows for food-service organic waste to be converted to dry fertilizer at 10% of its initial weight and size.
The Public Square and Gardens, which will include 5-acres of gardens, public plazas and Vessel, by Heatherwick Studio, will have chilled roots and more than 28,000 plants. To be protected from the heat from the train yard, which can reach levels up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and would make soil conditions too hot for plants and trees to survive, the Public Square and Gardens will be fully equipped with a sophisticated network of tubing which will circulate cooling liquids to protect the plant’s roots and a ventilation system, powered by 15 fans commonly used in jet engines, to supply fresh air among the tracks below.
Uniting innovation and sustainability, Related Companies has encouraged residents and visitors alike to maintain a healthy lifestyle through groundbreaking wellness initiatives. Related was one of the first developers of green buildings and in 2013, Related became the first large-scale national property owner to ban smoking throughout its portfolio. In 2006, Related acquired Equinox Fitness Clubs® and placed them in numerous properties across their portfolio. Hudson Yards will also house a 60,000 square foot Equinox® fitness club and spa, and SoulCycle, as well as an Equinox® branded luxury hotel.
Related was also the first developer to use celebrated architects on residential properties, pioneered best-in-class, hospitality-inspired service offerings and has created new models for the financing of affordable and workforce housing.
Most Innovative Companies is one of Fast Company’s most significant and highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. To produce the 2017 list, Fast Company reporters surveyed thousands of enterprises across the globe to identify the most notable innovations of the year and trace the impact of those initiatives on business, industry, and the larger culture.
Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies issue (March 2017) is available online at https://www.fastcompany.com/3067478/most-innovative-companies/why-related-companies-is-one-of-the-most-innovative-companies-of-2 as well as in app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning February 21.
