NBN Online for the week of February 6, 2006

Best Of Seniors Housing Honored at Builders' Show

The best in the 50+ housing industry were honored by NAHB during the 2006 Best of Seniors Housing Awards ceremony held Jan. 11, in conjunction with the International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla.

The NAHB 50+ Housing Council, which promotes excellence in the seniors housing industry, presented 132 gold and silver awards in 58 categories to current and on-the-boards projects from across the United States and as far away as Japan.

Design categories covered a range of product types such as active adult, aging in place, assisted living, continued-care retirement communities, for-sale condominiums, rental apartments and renovated seniors housing.

Winners were also honored for excellence in marketing strategies focusing on the mature market, and nine Jurors’ Innovation Awards were presented to projects that demonstrated extraordinary creativity and insight.

Among the top award winners were:

Active Adult Overall Community of the Year Gold Awards

• Small (up to 200 homes): Red Mill Village, Norton, Mass.
• Midsize (201 to 750 homes): Central Parke at Victoria Falls, Laurel, Md. 
• Large (more than 750 homes): Province, Maricopa, Ariz.

Best Logo Gold Award

• Red Mill Village, Norton, Mass.

Best Web Site Gold Award

• Village on the Green, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Best Sales Center Gold Award

• Sundance, Buckeye, Ariz.

For a complete list of the Best of Seniors Housing Awards winners, visit www.nahb.org/seniorshousingawards.

Richard Rosen, a Silver Spring, Md.-based architect and chairman of the Best of Seniors Housing Awards Committee, noted several trends that judges saw in this year’s entries.

“This year, as in the past, active-adult community design reflects a greater sensitivity to working with the natural environment while creating a resort-like community,” Rosen said. “Floor plans in both villas and apartments continue to be open and flexible, reflecting current lifestyle preferences. Universal design is also becoming standard in the planning and detailing of active-adult residences.”

A 13-member panel of architects, builders, designers, marketing professionals and universal design specialists judged the projects on innovative architecture, interior design, merchandising, marketing, and how effectively they responded to the housing demands of the 50+ market. Marketing categories focused on brochures, advertising campaigns, sales centers, and special promotions.

For more information, e-mail Elizabeth Landry at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8680.