The Building Owners and Managers Association International has named the Jones Lang LaSalle-managed Aon Center in Chicago and Minneapolis' Accenture Tower, overseen by CB Richard Ellis, among the commercial real estate industry group's outstanding buildings of the year.

In all, BOMA recognized 14 properties with The Outstanding Building of the Year awards at the organization's annual conference last week in Long Beach.

The TOBYs honor excellence in office building management and operations. To be eligible for the international association's award, properties must win local and regional contests.

Contenders at the international level are reviewed according to building size and type and performance in several areas: community impact, tenant/employee relations programs, energy management systems, accessibility for disabled people, emergency evacuation procedures, building personnel training programs and other quality indicators. Industry experts also inspect the properties.

This year, 94 properties competed for a spot in the international TOBY winners' circle.

Here are buildings that received awards in the 14 TOBY categories:

Building Over One Million Square Feet -- Winner: Aon Center, Chicago, Illinois (shown right). Property manager: Jones Lang LaSalle Americas (Illinois) LP. Owner: Piedmont Office Realty Trust. The center and JLL's management of it also were honored in Chicago's Green Office Challenge.

Building 500,000 to One Million Square Feet -- Winner: Accenture Tower, Minneapolis, Minnesota (shown in top image and below, right). Property manager: CB Richard Ellis. Owner: CalSTRS.

Building 250,000 to 499,999 Square Feet -- Winner: 300 West 6th, Austin, Texas. Property manager: Thomas Properties Group Inc. Owner: TPG-300 West 6th Street LLC.

Building 100,000 to 249,999 Square Feet -- Winner: Manulife Place, Vancouver, British Columbia. Property owner and manager: Manulife Financial.

Building Under 100,000 Square Foot -- Winner: Port Huron Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse, Port Huron, Michigan. Property owner and manager: U.S. General Services Administration.

Industrial Office Park -- Winner: Legacy Center Business Park, Houston, Texas. Property owner and manager: Liberty Property Trust.

Renovated Building -- Winner: Park Central 789, Dallas, Texas. Property manager: Parmenter Realty Partners. Owner: Parmenter Park Central, Lp.

Medical Office Building -- Winner: OHSU Center for Health and Wellness, Portland, Oregon. Property manager: CB Richard Ellis, Inc. Owner: RIMCO, LLC.

Government Building -- Winner: Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse, Cleveland, Ohio. The property is owned and managed the U.S. General Services Administration.

Corporate Facility -- Winner: Robert S. K. Welch Courthouse, St. Catharines, Ontario. The building is managed by Ontario Realty Corporation. Owner: Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.

Historical Building -- Winner: Pembroke Courthouse, Pembroke, Ontario. Property manager: Ontario Realty Corporation. Owner: Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. 

Earth Category -- Winner: Collier Center, Phoenix, Arizona. Property manager: CB Richard Ellis. Owner: GE US Pension Trust.

Mid-Rise Suburban Office Park -- Winner: Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas. Property manager: Crescent Real Estate Equities LP. Owner: Crescent Crown Greenway Plaza SVP LLC/Crescent Nine Greenway SVP LLC.

Low-Rise Suburban Office Park -- Winner: Ballantyne Corporate Park, Charlotte, North Carolina. Property manager: The Bissell Companies Inc. Owner: H.C. Bissell.

Images of Accenture Tower courtesy of AccentureTower.com. Image of Aon Center CC licensed by Flickr user Chronochaser.