Multifamily Developments Honored at 2022 Gold Nugget Awards

Known as one of the oldest and most prestigious design award competitions in the nation, the Gold Nugget Awards have recognized top innovators in design, planning, and development for the past 59 years. The program announced its 2022 grand honorees at an awards ceremony June 22 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center during PCBC, the Pacific Coast’s regional conference and trade show for real estate development.

This year’s competition drew 595 entries in 64 categories, including mixed-use, multifamily, affordable, single-family production, interior design, custom homes, commercial, renovations, and site planning. Jurors selected several merit winners in each grouping and elevated one project to become the grand winner.

The judging panel included some of the industry’s top designers, planners, and builders: Matt Alexander, vice president of development at The Cambridge Cos.; Daniel Gehman, principal at Danielian Associates; John McManus, founder of The Builder’s Daily; Matthew Porreca, design director at LPA Design Studios; Matthew Segal, architect and manager at Jonathan Segal, FAIA; and Symone Strong, associate editor at Builder and Multifamily Executive.

In the multifamily categories, the judges praised innovative concepts and architecture that stood out from the crowd but also included some of the industry’s emerging trends such as the need for more resident outdoor space, modern-day amenity packages with areas for work and play, energy-efficient structures that consider their environmental impact, and buildings that respond to the communities in which they are built.

Channel House in Oakland, California, was awarded Multifamily Community of the Year, after being honored in the Best Multifamily Housing Community, 100 du/acre or more, category. The 326-unit residential development is the newest addition to Jack London Square, an entertainment and business destination along Oakland’s waterfront.

Architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) worked with developer CIM Group to design the project that anchors the eastern edge of the district, with ground-floor retail space drawing visitors along Water Street. The building rises eight stories above street level and is expressed as a series of three wings with sloped fronts. According to SCB, the building’s form, materiality, and character is rooted in the maritime history of the area.

“For being such a massive building, there’s so many different elevations and articulation,” noted one Gold Nugget juror. “They’ve really done a great job of having elevations respond to different environments.”

The community provides a variety of living options, with a unit mix of studios to three-bedroom floor plans. Dual-aspect courtyard units enjoy private views of the landscaped courtyards, while a series of ground-floor townhomes and flats offer a more neighborhood-style living experience. Amenity spaces leverage the building’s waterfront location. On the fourth floor, indoor and outdoor spaces flow together seamlessly and offer views of the adjacent harbor and the Port of Oakland’s iconic cranes.

The nautical vocabulary of the design continues into the landscape. Rusted steel buoys were creatively repurposed as planters, and large-scale sculptural Corten steel fire features connect the property to its shipyard past.

“This product obviously has a personality,” stated another juror. “I think the elegance of the curved form to help break down what appears to be the largest façade on the building gives it real scale and break to articulation.”

Here’s a roundup of 10 multifamily developments that garnered Gold Nugget grand awards. View the full list of winners across all the categories here.

Multifamily Community of the Year: Channel House, Oakland, California
Developer: CIM Group; Builder: Suffolk Construction; Architect: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Best Multifamily Housing Community, 15-30 du/acre: McGraw Square at Queen Anne, Seattle
Builder: Toll Brothers; Architect: Dahlin Group Architecture Planning

Best Multifamily Housing Community, 30-60 du/acre: The Addison by The Melrose Collection, Los Angeles
Developer/Builder: Etco Homes; Architect: Kevin Tsai Architecture

Best Multifamily Housing Community, 60-100 du/acre: The Edge, Bethesda, Maryland
Developer: Equity Residential; Builder: CBG Building Co.; Architect: SK + I Architecture

Best Mixed-Use Project: Orenda, Seattle
Developer: Spectrum Development Solutions; Builder: Absher Construction; Architect: Weber Thompson

Best Student or Faculty Housing: Dundee Residence Hall at University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California
Developer: American Campus Communities; Builders: Morley Construction Co. | Benchmark Contractors; Architect: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Best Age-Qualified Senior Living Community: Avenida Palm Desert, Palm Desert, California
Developer/Builder: Avenida Partners; Architect: KTGY

Best Service-Enriched Senior Living Community: Holden Southcenter, Tukwila, Washington
Developer/Builder: Alliance Residential Co.; Architect: Urbal Architecture

Best Renovated, Restored, or Adaptive Reuse Residential Project: RiverPoint, Washington, D.C.
Developers: Orr Partners, Akridge, and Western Development; Builder: CBG Building Co.; Architect: Antunovich Associates

Best Design for Energy Efficiency: Ellie Passivhaus, Seattle
Developer: Sound West Group; Builder: Cascade Built; Architects: NK Architects, Balance Architects