WASHINGTON, DC - The historic renovation of one of Washington, D.C.'s, landmark Art Deco buildings; an affordable apartment complex for San Francisco Bay area college staff, and an ultra-luxurious condominium community in Miami were among an elite group of multifamily housing developments that earned 2008 Pillars of the Industry Awards from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The awards were presented last week at a gala ceremony held in Colorado Springs, Colo., in conjunction with NAHB's annual conference for apartment and condo developers.
"NAHB has been recognizing the 'best of the best' in multifamily housing for nearly two decades and every year we see projects that raise the bar even higher," said Steve Patterson, chairman of NAHB's Multifamily Leadership Board and CEO of ZOM USA. "Today's multifamily housing is beautiful, innovative, smart, green and full of terrific amenities that add to the residents' quality of life."
Considered the most prestigious award in the industry, NAHB's Pillars Awards honor excellence in multifamily housing development, design, marketing and management and are looked to as a showcase of future trends. This year, NAHB recognized winners for excellence and superior leadership in 31 categories, including Multifamily Development Firm of the Year and Property Management Company of the Year. It also named the Best Multifamily Community of the Year, chosen from the winning entries of the builder award categories.
In the Best Affordable Apartment Community category, the College Vista development in San Mateo, Calif., designed by the KTGY Group, was honored for its beautiful apartment homes that offer community college faculty and staff an affordable living option with rents 50 percent below market value. The community has been fully occupied since its completion and has provided the community college a decided advantage in hiring quality employees. In selecting the community for the award, the judges lauded the project team's innovative ways to save costs, including having the students at the college design the interiors.
In other building categories, a diverse group of projects and companies were honored, many for creating first class living options on sites previously underutilized or in areas in need of revitalization. Many of the projects capitalized on the appeal of today's urban living. For example, the Design Collective and The Hanover Company captured top honors in the Best Mid-Rise Apartment Category for the Domas community in Philadelphia, which was lauded for successfully marrying the project's urban boutique-style living with the historic residential area in which it is located.
The Pillars Award for Best Multifamily Community of the Year went to Mosler Lofts, a Seattle community designed by Mithun and developed by The Schuster Group, winner of the Best High-Rise Condominium category. The fastest selling condominium in Seattle's highly competitive marketplace, Mithun Lofts wowed the judges as a hip, urban project that provides sustainability and a "green point of view."
NAHB named Trammell Crow Residential of Atlanta the Multifamily Development Firm of the Year. Kettler Management of McLean, Va., was recognized as the Property Management Company of the Year. Both of the top firm awards were sponsored by Time Warner Cable.
Source: NAHB.org