Hines was founded by Gerald D. Hines in 1957 as a sole proprietorship. The firm is now Hines Interests Limited Partnership (HILP), 100 percent owned by Gerald D. Hines and Jeffrey C. Hines. Other members of the firm, including officers, may acquire equity in the investments for which they are responsible or on which they work. In addition to HILP, the organizational structure has affiliates to enhance Hines’ risk management, regulatory compliance, succession planning, financing and tax planning. Generally speaking, HILP and its affiliates are referred to as “Hines.”

Hines was primarily a developer and owner of core U.S. office properties up until the 1980s. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the company proactively expanded the firm’s core competencies to include acquisitions of existing properties, international development and real estate investment management services.

Investment Management
Since 1991, Hines has sponsored 57 investment vehicles with over $47.8 billion in equity for global acquisition and development. In addition, $17.5 billion of partner capital has been committed to one-off investments. Hines has also closed approximately 452 acquisitions since 1992 totaling more than 177 million square feet and $50.4 billion in value.

Development
Since its founding in 1957, Hines has developed, or currently has under development, more than 163 million square feet of office space and more than 119 million square feet of non-office space. The firm came to prominence as a developer of landmark office buildings in major cities across the U.S., revolutionizing the industry by introducing signature architecture for multi-tenant office buildings, and setting higher standards for all aspects of building design, operations and management. Today, the firm’s development competencies include office, multifamily, retail, industrial/logistics, sports and cultural facilities and large mixed-use projects.

Property Management
Hines has managed properties since its inception, establishing operational excellence as a core value. While the firm operates a majority of the properties in which it has an ownership stake, some properties—particularly those in Europe—are managed by third parties. In those cases, standards for service, quality and sustainability performance are prescribed in management agreements. Additionally, Hines provides third-party management services for properties owned by others. Today, the firm manages more than 210 million square feet.

Hines creates the Office of Innovation as an access point for new and innovative ideas and products. The firm becomes a Founding Alliance Member of the Well Living Lab, a collaboration between DelosTM and the Mayo Clinic to explore the connection between health and the indoor environment. Hines enters the Greek market with the acquisition of the Athens Ledra Hotel. Hines accelerates its growth in the student housing sector in the UK and Ireland with the launch of a new operating platform, APARTO. Hines partners with Tata Housing to develop Serein, India’s first wellness homes project in Thane.

Hines has long been a leader in sustainable design and in promoting sustainability programs around the world. The firm partners with multiple institutions to identify best operating practices and cutting-edge technologies in order to stay in the forefront of building operations, including:

ENERGY STAR
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program is the leading energy benchmarking and tracking system in the United States for the commercial real estate sector. ENERGY STAR was introduced by the EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants associated with energy use. The ENERGY STAR label was extended to office buildings that perform in the top 25 percent of the market in 1999.

Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is a nonprofit education and research institute to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Several Hines leaders have helped shape ULI’s sustainability programs, and the ULI/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition is in its 15th year.

U.S. Green Building Council
The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. It created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program.

International Organizations
Internationally, Hines has been involved with the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), the Russian Green Building Council, the Green Building Council Brasil, the Green Building Council España, the Green Building Council Italia, the Indian Green Building Council, the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) program and the Haute Qualité Environnementale (HQE) program.

The EPA honored Hines with the 2017 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award in recognition of continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency. This is the 13th time Hines has been recognized by the EPA and the 10th time Hines has received the Sustained Excellence Award. With an average performance rating of 87.9, the portfolio is 30 percent more energy efficient than the national average.

The Hines Pan-European Core Fund (HECF) achieved the highest possible rating of five Green Stars and was named a Global Sector Leader in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) 2017 Real Estate Assessment.