Year’s Best Green Home Manufacturers Honored at NGBA-


This month was the 11th annual National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Green Building Awards, and many green companies were honored for their green residential design and utmost resilience throughout an immobile housing market. Don Ferrier, owner of Ferrier Custom Homes in Texas and 2007 Green Builder Advocate of the Year honoree, served as master of ceremonies for the sold out awards dinner. It is no secret that this year has been a challenging one for residential home building, as home purchases have dropped to record lows. Ferrier voices that green homes building signifies “hope and the future, and the future is green home building… 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 of the 2009 National Green Building Awards were as follows: Affordable Home of the Year went to Imagine Homes in San Antonio, Texas, who won for the second year in a row for implementing cost-effective practices to attract first time buyers. Luxury Home of the Year was given to Solaire Homebuilders of Bend, Oregon for immaculate interior finishes using reclaimed and recycled materials and home additions 60 percent more energy efficient than standard code requires. Concept Home of the Year went to CVH, Inc., for an eco-friendly home designed in Coupeville, Washington. Onion Flats LLC of Philadelphia won the Condominium Project of the Year, due to an 8-unit project in the Northern Liberties neighborhood featuring modern design, solar panels, intensive green roofs and brilliant city views. Townhouse Project of the Year went to Asdal Builders LLC for a New Jersey rental project that caters to senior citizens and concentrates on maintainable, cost-effective geothermal heat. Celebrate by Del Webb was honored as Production Home of the Year for an active adult community in Virginia, taking green to a larger scale and now certifying homes in this new development to the National Green Building Standard.


Single-family Remodeling Project of the Year went to Red-B Construction for a North Carolina home with remarkable design and use of deconstruction methods that increase resource effectiveness. Hardwick G.C. Inc. of Florida was given the Multifamily Remodeling Project of the Year award, by turning an early 20th-century bungalow into a charming duplex that has rainwater harvesting systems, native landscaping and other water saving features. Multifamily Rental Project of the Year went to Tonti Properties’ 270-unit community in Texas, which is the first Energy Star-certified development in the area. The company produced an on-site tree farm during construction to enable landscapers to replant trees moved during the building process. Development of the Year went to the community of Woodlands Edge in Arkansas, cultivated by Rocket Properties LLC, which includes wildlife preservation areas, nature trails and a broad education program for its residents focused on environmental appreciation. Build San Antonio Green and the Missoula (Montana) Building Industry Association were awarded the local Green Home Building Programs of the year, while the city of Chicago was named Governmental Advocate of the Year for its widespread voluntary energy efficiency development programs and for promoting green roofing on high rise structures. Group Advocate of the Year was given to EcoBroker International for its green building education efforts among real estate agencies. Donna Shirey, a long running NAHB Remodelers leader and green building professional from Seattle, was honored as Remodeling Advocate of the Year. Architect Michelle Kaufmann was named Individual Advocate of the Year, while the longtime Missoula BIA leader and founder of the association’s green building council, John Freer, was awarded the NAHB Green Builder Advocate of the Year.