USGBC Reveals Recipients of 2009 LEED for Home Awards

This year's categories consisted of innovative projects, production builders, single-family projects, affordable housing projects, affordable developer, multifamily projects, and commitment to LEED for Homes.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 12/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Pulte Homes Villa Trieste; image courtesy of Pulte Homes

True to its name, the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo saw the U.S. Green Building Council hand out its annual 2009 LEED for Homes Awards in recognition of green home-building projects and those who have demonstrated leadership in the residential building marketplace.

Kaplan Thompson Architects and Bensonwoon Homes took home the innovative project award for their two-year collaboration on the LEED for Homes Platinum certified BrightBuild Barn project.

The outstanding production builder award was bagged by Pulte Homes for their Villa Trieste project in Las Vegas. The planned community’s 185 LEED Platinum homes make it one of the largest LEED for Homes projects to date.


Pulte Homes Villa Trieste; image courtesy of Pulte Homes

Arbor South Architecture was honored in the outstanding single-family project category for their The Sage home in Eugene, Oregon. The house earned 109 points in the LEED for Homes rating system, one of the highest scores to date.

Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity’s Hope Cross project was select for the outstanding housing project award. The 59-acre project will be the largest certified Habitat for Humanity community in the country upon completion and, thanks to the organization’s local partners and donations, Hope Cross residents can expect a more than 50 percent reduction in monthly energy bills.

The outstanding affordable developer award went to Columbia, South Carolina’s Housing Authority for the Rosewood Hills Project. Its mixture of apartments, townhouses, senior citizen housing, and single-family homes were built to suit a range of incomes.


Arbor South Architecture The Sage; image courtesy of Arbor South Architecture

Wakeland Housing & Development Corporation’s Platinum certified Los Vecinos project in Chula Vista, California received the outstanding multifamily project award for its 42 affordable apartments. The units are rented to families earning 60 percent of less of the area’s median income and because 90 percent of its energy is generated offsite, the property averages 39 percent more energy efficiency compared to similar locations following California’s energy efficiency standards.

Hunt Building Company’s Hunt Yates snagged the outstanding commitment to LEED for Homes for its Keesler Air Force Project in Biloxi, Mississippi. The project currently has 792 homes up for LEED for Homes certification.

"This year’s winners have set themselves apart for exhibiting exceptional leadership within the residential community and for their steadfast commitment to green homebuilding," says USGBC’s vice-president for residential market development. "These innovators will help transform the market to more healthy, high performing homes that are regarded as some of the best in the country."


Arbor South Architecture The Sage; image courtesy of Arbor South Architecture