Home building industry leaders honored the best in green residential design and outstanding advocacy efforts at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Green Building Awards.
The awards dinner, which was held on on May 8 in Dallas, kicked off the 11th annual NAHB National Green Building Conference. Don Ferrier of Ferrier Custom Homes in Fort Worth, honored as the 2007 Green Builder Advocate of the Year, served as master of ceremonies.
In a trying year for the home building industry, when housing starts dropped to record lows in a sputtering economy, green homes represent "hope and the future, and the future is green home building," Ferrier said. "The ladies and gentlemen we honor this evening understand that. These awards honor their leadership and their practical example to others in the industry."
The winners were:
Concept Home of the Year: CVH Inc., for a home in Coupeville ,Wash. Tight insulation and other energy-efficient features meant homeowners spent $76 on electricity in the first month they lived there - and that was before the builder installed photovoltaic panels on the rooftop and the monthly bill became a credit, rather than a debit, Ferrier said.
Affordable Home of the Year: Imagine Homes, San Antonio, Texas. The company noted for its cost-effective techniques to attract first-time buyers was honored for the second year in a row.
Luxury Home of the Year: Solaire Homebuilders of Bend, Ore. With beautiful interior finishes, this custom home was built with reclaimed and recycled materials and designed to be 60 percent more energy efficient than required by code.
Production Home of the Year: Celebrate by Del Webb, an active-adult community in Fredericksburg, Va., is taking green features to a larger scale and now certifying the homes in this new development to the National Green Building Standard.
Single-family Remodeling Project of the Year: Honors went to Red-B Construction for a Durham, N.C., home with striking design and extensive use of deconstruction techniques that improve resource efficiency.
Multifamily Remodeling Project of the Year: Hardwick G.C. Inc. of Orlando, Fla., turned an early 20th-century bungalow into a charming duplex that has a rainwater harvesting system, native landscaping and other water-efficient features.
Multifamily Rental Project of the Year: Tonti Properties' 270-unit community in Frisco, Texas, is the first Energy Star-certified development in the region. The company created an on-site tree farm during contruction to enable landscapers to replant trees moved during the building process.
Condominium Project of the Year: Onion Flats LLC of Philadelphia created an 8-unit infill project in the Northern Liberties neighborhood featuring slick, modern design, solar panels, green roofs and great city views.
Townhouse Project of the Year: Asdal Builders LLC was honored for a New Jersey rental development that caters to senior citizens and focuses on sustainable, low-maintenance design and cost-effective geothermal heating.
Development of the Year: The community of Woodlands Edge in Little Rock, Ark., developed by Rocket Properties LLC has nature trails, wildlife preservation areas and an extensive education program for its residents focused on environmental stewardship of the grounds.
Build San Antonio Green and the Missoula (Mont.) Building Industry Association were honored as the local green home building programs of the year, while the city of Chicago was named Governmental Advocate of the Year for its extensive voluntary energy-efficiency improvement programs and for encouraging green roofs on high-rise buildings.
EcoBroker International won Group Advocate of the Year honors for its green building education efforts among real estate brokers.
Donna Shirey, a longtime NAHB Remodelers leader and green-building professional from Seattle, was honored as Remodeling Advocate of the Year.
Architect Michelle Kaufmann, known for her groundbreaking green and modular design, was named Individual Advocate of the Year.
John Freer, a longtime Missoula BIA leader and founder of the association's green building council, was honored as NAHB Green Builder Advocate of the Year.
