Best in the West

By JENNIFER OLDHAM

July 2, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SAN FRANCISCO —

A renovated home for abused children in Orange and a collection of luxury estates in San Diego were among 31 Southern California building projects honored at the 37th annual Gold Nugget awards ceremony, held Thursday at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference here.

A nine-member panel of judges considered more than 600 entries for awards in 46 categories that honor achievement in architectural design and land-use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects.

For the record:

12:00 a.m. July 16, 2000 Los Angeles Times Sunday July 16, 2000 Home Edition Real Estate Part K Page 4 Real Estate Desk Type of Material: Correction; Wild Art
PHOTO: For the record--A photograph that accompanied “Best of the West,” July 2, was incorrectly identified as the award-winning Vista Nueva Apartment complex in Los Angeles. The photo was of the Columbus, an award-winning complex in Vancouver, B.C. The Vista Nueva, pictured here, was developed by A Community of Friends for homeless families. The 30-unit project includes an on-site child-care center.
PHOTOGRAPHER: MARVIN RAND

The design contest, the oldest and largest of its kind in the United States, was the highlight of the 42nd annual convention that brings together developers and related professionals from around the world.

Among the Southern California entries winning in project of the year categories was the Strada Plan 1 in Newport Coast, which received the home of the year award.

Plan 1 of the 42-home development, built by Brookfield Homes, also won best multifamily home over 1,800 square feet. The 3,628-square-foot home has a price range of $800,000 to $1 million. Designed by Scheurer Architects, the Tuscan-style home features romantic courtyards and balconies.

“This plan will revive and inspire all who like boutique European architecture,” judges wrote about the project.

Valencia community Carmelita at Woodlands was named residential detached project of the year. The project was built by Taylor Woodrow Homes and designed by JBZ Architecture + Planning. Judges noted the 85-home community’s use of four-home clusters with rear-loaded garages, common pedestrian entries and courtyards that offer “children a safe haven for play.”

The community also won awards for best site plan under 25 acres--with planner TRG Land Resources--and for best detached home under 1,600 square feet on a compact lot for its Spanish-style Residence One, priced at $274,000.

Pasadena’s Heritage Walk was awarded residential attached project of the year. The 38-unit community was also honored for site planning in the redevelopment, rehabilitation or infill category, and for best condominium or attached home under 1,200 square feet. It was built by the Olson Co. and designed by Bassenian/Lagoni Architects.

The judges honored Heritage Walk’s Plan 1 with the best condo or attached home under 1,200 square feet, in part for its street-level entry, direct-access garages and separate living and dining rooms. Designed to meet a city affordable-housing requirement, the townhome is priced at $252,990.

Fairbanks Highlands in San Diego was awarded best detached residential project of the year. The 93 homes in the project range in size from 3,871 square feet to 5,463 square feet, with a selling price between $855,000 and $1.01 million.

The project, built by Taylor Woodrow Homes and designed by Robert Hidey Architects, is located in a natural canyon that’s part of a wildlife corridor. The community features auto courts and outdoor living spaces.

A 30-unit Los Angeles apartment project designed for families in which one member has a chronic mental illness won in the category for best apartment project with four or more stories. The Vista Nueva complex was built by Fassberg Construction.

The project, where monthly rents range from $335 to $519, strives for a sense of community through living areas arranged to face a shady, bamboo-lined central plaza, said project architects Hatch-Colasuonno Studio in submitting its entry.

An assisted-living home for seniors and Alzheimer’s patients in Irvine was awarded the best seniors assisted-living project. The Lynnbrooke features an entry rotunda, dining room and other common areas designed by Scheurer Architects.

Judges lauded the natural tones and textures featured in the 140-bed facility. Camco Pacific was the builder.

Architects Dawson Hannouche Pate and builder Monarch Communities accepted an award for best detached home of 1,600 to 2,000 square feet on a compact lot for the Alisal Plan 1 in San Clemente. The 1,957-square-foot Plan 1 starts at $339,900.

The companies also won best detached home over 2,000 square feet on a compact lot for Alisal Plan 2. Plan 2 homes are 2,076 square feet and start at $348,900. The Alisal also walked away with the best residential site-plan award for a project under 25 acres.

The Energy Efficient Home Award went to Plan 1 of the Village Green in Sylmar. The 1,400-square-foot home, designed by Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh and built by the Lee Group and Braemer Urban Ventures, features environmentally friendly cellulose insulation, low-energy-loss windows, an energy-efficient washer, solar-electric roof panels and a gas air conditioner.

The 186-home development, designed for first-time home buyers at prices ranging from $180,000 to $200,000, is also located near a rapid-transit center. The homes range in size from 1,400 square feet to 1,709 square feet.

Half of the Building Industry Community Spirit awards went to Southern California projects. The award recognizes projects that meet the needs of a community’s less fortunate residents.

Local winners included Phase 1 of the Orangewood Children’s Home in Orange, built by Fieldstone Communities and designed by William Hezmalhalch Architects; the Habitat for Humanity Duplex in Irvine, built by Lennar Homes of California and designed by BBG Architects; and the San Diego Center for Children Special Care Facility, built and designed by Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc.

A complete list of winners follows:

2000 Gold Nugget Awards

Grand Award Winners

Home of the Year

Strada--Plan 1, Newport Coast

Builder-developer: Brookfield Homes

Architect: Scheurer Architects

Judges Award of Excellence

The Columbus, Vancouver, B.C.

Builder: Centreville Construction Ltd.

Developer: Concord Pacific Group Inc.

Architect: James Hancock Architects

International Housing Award

Guang Ming International Villas II, Beijing

Builder: Paragon Homes

Developer: Beijing Guang Ming Hotel Co.

Architect-Planner: Danielian Associates

Residential Detached Project

Carmelita at Woodlands, Valencia

Builder-Developer: Taylor Woodrow Homes

Architect: JBZ Architecture + Planning

Planner: TRG Land Resources Inc.

Residential Project of the Year--Attached

Heritage Walk, Pasadena

Builder-Developer: Olson Co.

Architect-Planner: Bassenian/Lagoni Architects

Residential Project of the Year--Detached

Fairbanks Highlands, San Diego

Builder-Developer: Taylor Woodrow Homes

Architect: Robert Hidey Architects Inc.

Planner: TRG Land Resources Inc.

Energy Efficient Home Award

Sponsored by the Southern California Gas Co.

Village Green, Plan One, Sylmar

Builder: Lee Grou, Inc./Braemer Urban Ventures

Architect: Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, AIA

Building Industry Community Spirit

Best in the West

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