IRVINE, CA - KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture + Planning, announces that the national firm has earned the highest honors in the Gold Nugget Awards program including Residential Project of the Year - Detached, the best Mixed-Use Project, and best On the Boards Single-Family Detached. The three winning projects feature two single-family detached residential communities and a mixed-use retail/multifamily community. The Gold Nugget Grand Awards reveal the next generation of residential design for the homebuilding industry and recognize KTGY's unwavering dedication to being innovative and pushing the envelope of what builders can achieve in every price range.
"We have struck gold with fresh, modern, high-density single-family home designs from KTGY – wrapped in a super-green solar and geothermal standard feature package and high tech interiors at an attainable price for first-time buyers, empty nesters and just about everyone in-between. We can't build these homes fast enough," said Rene Oehlerking, marketing director for Garbett Homes of Salt Lake City, Utah, the builders of the Solaris Collection in South Jordan, Utah, which earned the prestigious Gold Nugget Grand Award for Residential Project of the Year - Detached. "Our buyers are really looking for something different in a sea of uninspiring brown French Country stucco boxes built without any consideration of energy efficiency or renewable energy generation."
Located at the award-winning green master-planned community of Daybreak developed by Kennecott Land, the Solaris Collection's eclectic, modern exteriors with fiber-cement siding are used in unique ways not seen before in this market and a vibrant color palette add to the overall unique appeal. Garbett Homes has sold over 80 Solaris homes in Daybreak and recently received 14 new lots, which the company has started to sell.
"Garbett has done what no other builder has done; they have completed the loop from inside to the outside," said KTGY's John Tully, a principal and a founding partner of the California-based architecture and planning firm. "We took leading-edge solar photovoltaic, solar thermal and geothermal technologies that have traditionally only been found in expensive custom-built homes and made it work for an affordable production home. Its cover - bold, modern exteriors - amplifies the technology inside, and the inside matches the outside. We are excited about this next generation of housing at both Solaris and TerraSol."
Garbett Home's TerraSol in South Salt Lake, a pioneering 60-unit urban infill development near downtown Salt Lake City, designed by KTGY, received a Gold Nugget Award of Merit in two categories: Green Sustainable Residential Community and Single Family Detached Home - under 1,700 sq. ft. Solaris was also awarded a Gold Nugget Award of Merit in the category of Single Family Detached Home - 1,700 to 2,500 sq. ft., and recently received a Merit Award in the 2012 Residential Architect Design Award competition.
KTGY's innovative single-family residential community concept, R&D 35x50 Lots Conceptual, was awarded a Gold Nugget Grand Award in the category of On the Boards Single Family Detached. KTGY's design of a 69-unit proposed project with 35'x50' lots targets the majority of consumers wanting to purchase a single-family detached home versus attached. These consumers also want a home that has a sleek, contemporary, sustainable design, with flexible open floor plans that capitalize on spacious indoor/outdoor living.
"Our objective was to create an exciting alternative single-family detached home to the typical 15 to 18 dwelling units per acre attached home," said KTGY's Executive Director Nick Lehnert, based in the firm's Irvine office.
"Traditional two- and three-story attached homes provide little or no on-grade outdoor living space for children, pets and/or entertaining; and the three-story 'walk-up' townhomes always have problems programming space in front of the garage and can be very limited on floor plan options, especially on the second floor, so we designed a better residence that meets the needs of homebuyer's today and tomorrow and is unlike anything currently in production for a single-family detached home."
Via, an upscale, GreenPoint Rated, transit-oriented, mixed-use community the heart of the Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale, Calif., was honored with a Gold Nugget Grand Award as the best Mixed Use Project. It also won a Gold Nugget Award of Merit in the category of Multi-Family Housing Project - 30 to 50 du/acre (For Sale or Rent). Developed and owned by Essex Property Trust (NYSE: ESS) and designed by KTGY, Via seamlessly blends 284 luxury apartments with a 46,000-square-foot shopping center anchored by Fresh & Easy and includes a bank, restaurant, deli, and other neighborhood-serving retail. Via is located just off the 101 Bayshore and 237 Southbay freeways, steps from the VTA commuter rail station, and near the Mineta San Jose International Airport.
"Via is an excellent example of a 21st century smart growth development incorporating high density, mixed-use, eco-friendly living in a location that provides immediate access to light rail, onsite retail and residential amenities," said KTGY Chairman and Principal Stan Braden, AIA, NCARB. Via's community amenities include a resort-style pool and spa, wireless internet, cyber café, fitness center, resident clubroom, bocce ball court, putting green, outdoor kitchen and fire pits, Zen-styled courtyards, and a dog walk.
"KTGY is committed to the understanding of the end-user and socio-economic trends and interpreting them through fresh, inventive design solutions to create successful projects," Lehnert said. "The collaboration between KTGY and our clients drives results -- creating market niches and setting new standards for leading-edge, sustainable design, innovation and the future of home buying and successful rental communities."
Other Gold Nugget Awards of Merit:
Primera Terra, a landmark LEED Platinum certified project in Playa Vista (Los Angeles County), one of the largest in California, received a Gold Nugget Award of Merit in two categories: Residential Project of the Year - Attached Product in an Urban Setting and Multi-Family Housing Project - 30 to 50 du/acre (For Sale or Rent). Built by KB Home (NYSE: KBH), Primera Terra is an innovative redesign solution by KTGY comprising of 52 luxury for-sale condominium homes located in the Playa Vista master planned community in Los Angeles County and is 40% more energy efficient than the new home standards set by the state of California. Primera Terra recently was honored with a Best in American Living Award (BALA) Platinum award in the category of Neighborhood Design; the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED for Homes award in the Multifamily category; and ENR California Magazine's Best Multifamily Residential Project Award.
Also, in Sunnyvale, Calif., Fusion, a 228-unit eco-friendly townhome community in Silicon Valley's thriving tech industry, received a Gold Nugget Award of Merit in the Multi-Family Housing Project - 15 to 30 du/acre (For Sale or Rent) category. Originally designed by another builder for a different market in stronger economy, this vibrant community built by O'Brien Homes was redesigned by KTGY for young, tech-savvy buyers offers and provides a host of outstanding amenities. Fusion is also the recipient of a NAHB BALA Silver Award in the category of Multifamily Housing up to 5 Stories and two MAME Awards: Best Architectural Design - Plan 7 and Community of the Year.
In the Affordable Project - 15 to 30 du/acre category, Doria Apartment Homes in Irvine, Calif. and Bonterra Apartment Homes in Brea, Calif., garnered a Gold Nugget Award of Merit. Both projects were developed by Jamboree Housing Corporation and designed by KTGY.
In Los Angeles, Angelus Plaza, an affordable for-rent senior apartment complex with 1,093 units within four high-rise residential towers, received a Gold Nugget Award of Merit in the Renovated or Restored Residential Project category. Angelus Plaza was designed by KTGY and developed by Retirement Housing Foundation.
Dana Strand Apartment Homes, an affordable high quality 100-unit senior apartment community in Los Angeles, was honored with a Gold Nugget Award of Merit in the Seniors Housing Community - Age Qualified AFFORDABLE category. Dana Strand was developed by ROEM Development Corporation, built by ROEM Builders and designed by KTGY.
Santa Clara University Villas, an eco-friendly residential community, designed by KTGY and developed and built by The Sobrato Organization, received a Gold Nugget Award of Merit in the Infill, Re-development or Rehab Site Plan - up to 5 Acres category. Located in Santa Clara and San Jose, Calif., Santa Clara University Villas provides 400 beds for the University’s junior and senior students.
The Gold Nugget Grand Awards were presented at a ceremony held during PCBC at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco on June 28, 2012. The oldest and largest program of its kind—now in its 49th year—the Gold Nugget Awards honor creative achievements in architectural design and land use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects. Drawing more than 400 entries from the 14 western states and internationally, the Gold Nugget Awards program is the premier event of the annual PCBC, the nation's largest regional trade show and conference.
Celebrating 20 years, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, provides comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, market trends and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, Calif., Denver, Colo., and Tysons Corner, Va.