2007 Gold Nugget Awards: Fields of Gold

Don't look now, but the showy castles that dominated housing competitions in the not-so-distant past just aren't turning heads like they used to. Descriptors such as infill, sustainable, affordable, walkable, energy-efficient, casual, site sensitive, and even the “D” word (yep, density) were more apt to get a nod from the judges in this year's Gold Nugget Awards, an annual salute to the best architecture and community planning in 14 Western states and international markets.

IT'S ALL HERE: The 2007 Home of the Year, a brave addition to the urban mix at Playa Vista in Los Angeles, lives large on a compact lot and doesn't skimp on outdoor space.

Photo Credit: Eric Figge Photography

For evidence, look no farther than the 2007 Home of the Year, a detached dwelling boasting a most economical footprint in an urban neighborhood that packs nearly nine units to the acre. Or the Master Planned Community of the Year, a 120-acre Hope VI project that transformed a stretch of dilapidated, post–World War II subsidized units into a vibrant, eco-friendly, energy-efficient village providing housing for more than 4,000 mixed-income residents.

Rest assured, there is still a place (and a reverential appreciation) in this PCBC-sponsored competition for big budget architecture, amazing vistas, floor plans for fine living, and impeccable craftsmanship. But changes are afoot in the world of über-luxury. By all accounts, tastes are skewing toward a more casual brand of elegance, contemporary forms with clean lines, and the notion that upscale can happen within the confines of shared walls.

L.A. Stories

Icon at Playa Vista—Plan 3, Los Angeles

Al fresco living spaces and four-car garages are the kinds of goodies one would expect in a large home on a well-endowed parcel, where dirt is no object and the setbacks are generous. Now check this out: a single-family city residence that serves up the same menu on a lot measuring just 40 feet wide by 76 feet deep—with not even the slightest whiff of claustrophobia.

Taking a sectional view of the tight design envelope at Playa Vista, the architects at JZMK Partners arrived at a program that recalibrates urban luxury in vertical terms. The stacked living spaces in this 3,490-square-foot home (complete with an elevator option) maintain a clear logic: utility at ground, communal zones on the second floor, and private realms up top—far from the bustle of the street. But the plan also breathes well and feels relaxed—as a California house should—thanks to direct connections to the outdoors at every level. The contemporary architecture is activated on all four sides by a sculptural interplay of indoor and outdoor living spaces, and arches become a unifying motif.

Architect: JZMK Partners, Irvine, Calif.

Natural Beauty

The Casitas at Silverleaf, Scottsdale, Ariz.

With scores of contenders vying for the title, winning a project of the year distinction is no small feat. The judges chose this thoughtfully executed neighborhood because it offers the entire package—good site plan, diverse floor plans, interesting use of materials, and relationship with its environment.

Following the topography of the 5 ¼-acre site, 35 single-family houses are discreetly nestled within the curves of the land. Instead of trying to compete with the scenery, architect Jeffrey Berkus of BBG Architects blended the homes into the desert context.

Working with native stone and a Sonoran desert–inspired color palette, Berkus used natural textures and hues to reflect the surroundings. The homes' exterior style recalls a European village, with tumbled brick and stone accents, stucco cladding and ceramic roof tiles in warm earth tones, wooden shutters, and wrought-iron fencing.

The craftsmanship continues on the interior, with rustic, wood-beamed ceilings, limestone tile floors, custom commercial kitchens, and spa-like bathroom retreats.

Green Scene

High Point, Seattle

Talk about a community that has it all. High Point, Seattle's first neighborhood to merge sustainable design with social conscience, is a 120-acre HUD Hope VI project that replaces, in the words of a Seattle Times editorial, “a hideous old public housing project of barracks-like structures” that were built for defense-plant workers at the start of World War II (think Rosie the Riveter). Now, in place of those 716 decrepit units, are the first of 1,600 Built Green houses, townhouses, condominiums, and apartments for more than 4,000 mixed-income residents. The neighborhood offers an ecologically friendly environment, including green spaces and pocket parks that conserve water resources and preserve old-growth trees.

The water angle is especially interesting. A 34-block natural drainage system, including swales, permeable roads, amended soils, and a stormwater pond—the centerpiece of a community park—captures runoff and protects Longfellow Creek, Seattle's most productive salmon-spawning stream. Drainage swales have been incorporated into the planting strips that are traditionally found between sidewalks and streets. Instead of being crowned, the streets tilt toward the swales, which helps reduce runoff. More than 150 mature trees were carefully preserved, and trees that were removed were reused elsewhere on site.

All the housing types, designed by Mithun, a Seattle-based architecture and planning firm that focuses on environmentally sensitive design, were built with the fundamentals of sustainability in mind. Improved insulation and ventilation, high-performance windows, lighting, and appliances cut energy use by 20 percent. The future is looking green indeed.

Award: Master planned community of the year

Developer: Seattle Housing Authority, Seattle

Architect/Land planner: Mithun, Seattle

A Modern Alternative

Sky Terrace, Denver

Looking for a sure-fire way to distinguish yourself from all the other builders in a New Urbanist community? Take a cue from Denver-based Infinity Home Collection and its Sky Terrace project at Stapleton, the ambitious re-purposing of 4,700 acres that were once Denver's airport. At build-out, slated for 2020, Stapleton will be home to more than 30,000 residents.

A lucky 44 households will be living at Sky Terrace, a collection of contemporary townhouses that breaks the traditional, predictable row-home prototype. Dynamic volume spaces and glass walls give these homes unexpected drama.

Whereas typical row homes tend to be narrow and dark, this project's ingenious, interlocking building plan allows each residence to make the most of a limited footprint without losing out on fresh air or natural light. Outdoor spaces are plentiful and are organized in a careful hierarchy. Every unit features a semi-private courtyard leading to the front door and a private rooftop terrace. In addition, side courts on end units and center courts carved out between interior units provide even more outdoor connections and bring light inside. This combination of new geometry and urban style reaches an untapped market of buyers seeking something a little different from the status quo.

Awards: Residential project of the year/attached—suburban; grand for best attached housing project under 18 units/acre

Builder: Infinity Home Collection, Greenwood Village, Colo.

Developer/Land planner: Forest City Stapleton, Denver

Architect: Woodley Architectural Group, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

At Ease

SeaCrest—White Residence (Plan 2), Newport Beach, Calif.

The most interesting thing about this jewel of a house, situated on a breathtaking lot overlooking the Pacific Ocean, isn't that it's well appointed, or that it's faithful in its homage to Spanish architecture. It's that its luxury is expressed in such an understated, almost soft-spoken way. The emotion and drama of Plan 2, a 5,835-square-foot house at SeaCrest at Crystal Cove, comes not by way of grand volume spaces, but rather from its relaxed and humble scale.

Designed by Bob White of Forest-Studio, with the Ritner Group as architect of record, Plan 2 offers a decidedly casual form of luxury, marked by low-profile building forms, a palette of organic materials, and connections to the landscape at every turn. No doubt its generous open-air courtyards, patios, and covered loggias off both the first and second floors get plenty of use in this balmy, 29-home Laing Luxury Homes enclave. And inside, there's something for everybody: three to four bedrooms, a great room, a morning room, a “teen room,” and a butler's pantry to name just a few of the features that make this residence super livable.

All that, and the attention to detail is impeccable: handmade portico gates and shutters, antique French pavers, hand-rubbed clay tiles on the roof, and hand-forged hardware on all the doors and windows. As one judge observed, “The pacing of the architecture is inspired, and the craftsmanship is exquisite.”

Award: Grand for best single-family detached home—over 5,000 square feet (conventional lot)

Builder/Developer: Laing Luxury Homes, Newport Beach, Calif.;

Designer: ForestStudio, Newport Beach

Architect of record: Ritner Group, Newport Beach

Land planner: Irvine Community Development Co., Newport Beach

Making Connections

Park Town Place, Campbell, Calif.

The quaint Northern California town of Campbell has a few claims to fame. It's the original home to e-Bay and the birthplace of fruit cocktail (although the latter remains a topic of some dispute). These days it's getting noticed for an expanding light-rail system and a subsequent boom of transit-oriented development. The walkable downtown, which is served by three light-rail stations, is attracting young urbanites as well as move-down buyers in search of a small-town atmosphere with easy access to Silicon Valley.

Architect and land planner Alex Seidel devised a clever solution for this half-acre, infill site sandwiched between the light-rail tracks, historic warehouses, and the Campbell Water Tower. Twenty-four townhouses wrap around a central courtyard, and each has its own walk-up entry, accessed either from the street or the courtyard. The eclectic surroundings influenced the project's exterior character, with brick walls and steel canopy and balcony details.

The benefits of the building layout are best expressed on the inside, where two-story operable window walls provide a plethora of natural daylight and ventilation. Most units, ranging in price from $625,000 to $850,000, have multiple exposures with views of the town, an adjacent public park, or the surrounding hills.

Award: PROJECT Grand for best attached housing project (for sale)—18 to 40 units/acre

Builder/Developer: Regis Homes of Northern California, San Mateo, Calif.

Architect/Land planner: Seidel/Holzman, San Francisco

Urban Art

200 Second Street, Oakland, Calif.

The newest resident in Oakland'S Jack London Square neighborhood makes a great first impression. Amid-rise luxury building with 70 condominiums and four live/work units on just under a half acre, it proves that high density and great visual impact aren't mutually exclusive. Almost a full city block in length, the massing of the six-story project is broken up with colorful, boxy bays and generous glazing. The bold, modern look further enhances the once-gritty, now rapidly revitalizing community.

The team at David Baker + Partners Architects stacked the embedded parking at offset levels to allow a higher first level with space for corner retail (currently the sales office), the live/work units, and a landscaped entry courtyard.

The light-filled, steel-frame building features a dramatic glass staircase and murals by local artists in the double-height elevator lobby. The private spaces are as cool as the public areas, as each sophisticated unit lives like a loft. Expansive windows allow views of the city or the bay, and many of the units feature a deck, balcony, or private garden patio.

A variety of floor plans provide plenty of options for a diverse buyer demographic. Prices range from $380,000 for a junior one-bedroom/one bath, up to $750,000 for the deluxe three-bedroom units.

Although there's parking, the building is public transitoriented. Residents can walk to nearby Amtrak and BART trains, local bus lines, or even hop a commuter ferry over to San Francisco.

Award: PROJECT Grand for best attached housing project—over 4 stories

Builder: Cannon Constructors, San Francisco

Developer: Metrovation, Oakland, Calif.

Architect: David Baker + Partners Architects, San Francisco

Rock Steady

Nova House, Southern Utah

When you are fortunate enough to have one of the most breathtaking views in the country, you want to enjoy it as much as possible. That's how architect Denis Henmi's clients felt about the custom home they commissioned in Southern Utah.

The remote and challenging site, overlooking Red Rock Canyon National Park, required excavation to locate the most solid bedrock on which to build. The front of Henmi's 8,000-square-foot design is tucked into the earth, while the rear is perched on a 200-foot-high cliff.

From the road, the natural stone–covered house is unassuming, but on the canyon side, a commercial-grade window system stretches from floor to ceiling for a glass façade that provides unobstructed views from almost every room in the house.

Walls of glass in a desert setting might not seem conducive to energy conservation, but sustainability was top of mind in the design. Henmi employed proper solar orientation and used protective overhangs and sunshades to minimize heat gain from the sun during the summer. Solar panels also help to reduce energy costs. Concrete floors with radiant heat keep the interiors warm in winter and cool in summer.

Glass accents and neutral-toned wood siding and stone combine for a soothing interior that doesn't compete with the view. The $6 million home includes all the requisite features for a house of this size and value—a home theater, a two-story living/dining room, commercial-style kitchen appliances, a sauna, an elevator, and a wine cellar.

Award: PROJECT Grand for best custom home—5,000 to 10,000 square feet;

Builder: Culp Construction, Salt Lake City

Architect: Kwan Henmi Architecture/Planning, San Francisco

Just Right

Acacia—Plan 2, Mountain House, Calif.

Who says compact can't be terrific? With its comforting front porch and shingled dormers, Plan 2 at Acacia looks like something from the set of “Leave It to Beaver.” Cute as it is, though, there's nothing retro about this 2,866-square-foot home, designed by Dahlin Group and part of a collection of four family-friendly architectural styles (Craftsman, traditional, Mission, and cottage) at Mountain House, an ambitious 5,000-acre project that's exploding just 60 miles east of San Francisco. This alley-loaded sentimental favorite, built by Centex Homes and expertly sited on a modest 4,500-square-foot lot, is as modern as they come.

Beyond that irresistible front porch, a generous entry opens on to a library/optional fourth bedroom (with full bath) to the left and a living room and dining room to the right. Straight ahead there's a short run to the guts of the first floor, an open kitchen, volume nook, and family room that all take advantage of the sunlight that pours in from a sizeable outdoor courtyard. Upstairs are two secondary bedrooms with a hall bath, a spacious loft area, and a window-filled master suite. In back, above the two-car garage, comes the icing on the cake: a nifty little granny unit that would be perfect as a bonus space for a large family, private quarters for an older child, or even a granny.

Award: PROJECT Grand for best single-family detached home—2,300 square feet and over (small lot)

Builder/Developer: Centex Homes–San Ramon division, San Ramon, Calif.

Architect: Dahlin Group Architecture Planning, Pleasanton, Calif.

Land planner: Carlson, Barbee & Gibson, San Ramon