The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has named the recipients of its 2009 LEED for Homes Awards, recognizing housing projects and home builders who have demonstrated leadership in the residential building marketplace. The awards were presented during the Residential Summit on Friday, Nov. 13, during the 2009 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo held in Phoenix, Ariz. The 2009 award categories recognize innovative projects, production builders, single family projects, affordable housing projects, affordable developer, multifamily project and a commitment to LEED for Homes.

“This year’s winners have set themselves apart for exhibiting exceptional leadership within the residential community and for their steadfast commitment to green homebuilding,” said Nate Kredich, Vice President, 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.”

This year’s Innovative Project award was given to the Platinum certified BrightBuilt Barn project, the result of a two-year collaboration between Kaplan Thompson Architects, Bensonwoon Homes and a team of green building experts from around the Northeast. BrightBuilt Barn is one of the only buildings in the world to be designed to be truly carbon neutral.  By making more clean energy than it consumes, over its lifespan, BrightBuilt Barn will actually offset all the atmospheric greenhouse gases produced by its construction.  A few more sustainable features include: Super Insulation = No Furnace, Net-Zero Plus, Wears A Mood Ring, Sun Worshipper, Offsite Fabrication, LEED Platinum, Cascadia Living Building Challenge, Open Source Collaboration-Sharing the Knowledge, A 200-Year House, Disentanglement, Innovative Efficient Glazing, “State of the Shelf” Design.

Pulte Homes was honored with the Outstanding Production Builder Award for its Villa Trieste project, located in Las Vegas, NV. Villa Trieste is planned to be a community of 185 LEED Platinum single family homes, which will place it firmly among the ranks of the largest LEED for Homes project to date.  Every new Pulte Home at Villa Trieste employs a whole-house approach to energy efficiency. Every facet of construction, from heating and cooling, to ventilation, insulation, non-toxic paints, water-saving plumbing, and energy-conserving windows and appliances works as on efficient, cohesive system to achieve measurable results.  Homes at Villa Trieste have an average HERS score of 43, in comparison to typical used homes which have a HERS score of 130, and typical new homes which averages a HERS score of 100.

In the Outstanding Single Family Project category, Arbor South Architecture’s theSAGE home in Eugene, OR was recognized an as example of leadership in the green residential movement. theSAGE home earned 109 points in the LEED for Homes rating system, among the highest scores ever achieved. Sustainable features include:
building oriented for solar design, moisture control measures, built on a previously-developed infill site not on prime agricultural land, Within 1/2 mile of 7 basic community resources, Erosion controls during construction, Drought-resistant landscaping, Stormwater management and irrigation via rainwater collection pond,  Low-flow shower heads and dual flush toilets, Exceptional energy performance in several areas: passive solar, active solar water heat, active solar electric (photovoltaic), super-high efficiency insulation, super high efficiency heat pump, night-time natural cooling, heat recovery ventilator for indoor air quality, Detailed framing list and cut list, minimizing waste, Sustainable materials (flooring, countertops, cabinets), Recycle as much as possible, Reuse of materials (redwood siding from Cuthbert Amphitheater benches), No combustion appliances, Passive ventilation, Heat Recovery Ventilator, Best quality air filters, Central vacuum system vented to outside.

Hunt Yates of Hunt Building Company received the award for Outstanding Commitment to LEED for Homes for its Keesler Air Force Base project in Biloxi, MS. Built by the Hunt Building Company and W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company, the project currently has 792 registered single family homes pursuing LEED for Homes certification.

Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity’s Hope Cross project was selected to receive the Outstanding Affordable Housing Project award. The project is a 59-acre affordable housing project, and once complete, will be the largest certified Habitat of Humanity Community in the U.S. Thanks to local partners and donations, residents of the project can expect a more than 50% reduction in monthly energy bills.

In the Outstanding Multifamily Project category, Wakeland Housing & Development Corporation’s Platinum certified Los Vecinos project in Chula Vista, CA was selected for its outstanding performance within the LEED for Homes rating system. The affordable housing project consists of 42 apartment units rented to families earning 60% or less of the area median income. With 90% of its energy generated onsite, the property is on average 39% more energy efficient than comparable properties following California energy efficiency standards.

The Columbia Housing Authority received the Outstanding Affordable Developer award for its Rosewood Hills project in Columbia, SC. Rosewood Hills features a diverse mix of apartments, townhomes, senior citizen housing and single family homes catering to a range of incomes.

This year’s LEED for Homes award winners were selected by the Residential Market Development team from among the dozens of nominations received from USGBC’s network of 38 LEED for Homes Provider organizations throughout the country.

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