MNN - Mother Nature Network

• Project of the Year Award: Place of the Hidden Waters Community Longhouse, Puyallup Tribal Housing Authority; Puyallup, Wash. 

 

"This LEED Platinum certified housing project is a culturally a, nd environmentally responsive new model for the Puyallup Tribe in the Pacific NW. It’s located on the Puyallup reservation on a hill overlooking the Puget Sound tide flats, which were traditional Puyallup tribal lands. The buildings are designed to emulate the rectangular, shed roofed form of a traditional Coast Salish longhouse using a variation of the modern townhouse courtyard building. Structural insulated panels with excellent air sealing for a well-insulated envelope, triple pane windows and ground source heat pumps for both domestic hot water and hydronic heating systems are some of the sustainable features."

 

• Outstanding Single Family Project: Brooks Residence, Isabelle Duvivier (architect); Venice, Calif. 

 

"Located in Venice, Calif., the Brooks Residence is a 1,700 sq. ft. LEED Platinum home. Homeowner and architect, Isabelle Duvivier, purchased the 100-year-old home in a well-established, low-income neighborhood in order to restore it. The goal was to reduce the footprint/impact of the house on the planet through water, energy and material efficiency. Above and beyond that goal, the home design works to restore habitats for birds, bees and butterflies and creates educational opportunities for the local community."

 

• Outstanding Multifamily Project: Eco Modern Flats, Specialized Real Estate Group (developer); Fayetteville, Ark. 

 

"This LEED Platinum project is a gut rehab of a 96-unit market rate apartment complex built between 1968 and1972 and located in Fayetteville, Ark. The developers’ goals were to deliver a product that was not currently available in the market—modern, urban, green multifamily rental—and to save operations costs through energy and water-saving updates. In addition to the rehab itself, a blog and other informational resources were developed, and hundreds of people toured a model unit highlighting 32 sustainable strategies employed in the project."

 

• Outstanding Affordable Housing Project: Rio Vista Apartments, Adobe Communities (developer); Los Angeles, Calif. 

 

"This is the first development in LA County to co-locate affordable housing with an educational component owned and operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District on the District’s surplus land. The LEED Platinum apartments transform a vacant parking lot into a model joint-use development addressing the needs of 50 low-income families. The site is a high-density infill, a former brownfield with existing infrastructure, and is located with access to outstanding community resources. Rio Vista is energy efficient (exceeds Title 24 by 40 percent) and includes an edible garden atop the roof with a central trellised courtyard providing a shaded outdoor space to reduce heat island effects."

 

Outstanding Affordable Developer: Avesta Housing for Oak Street Lofts. Portland, Maine.

Outstanding Production Builder: Clarum Communities for Cambridge Plaza. Palo Alto, Calif.

Outstanding Commitment to LEED for Homes: McGuyer Homebuilders, Inc. Texas.