Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Awards for Excellence

Ten outstanding developments from North America have been selected as winners of Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Awards for Excellence: The America's competition. High Point in West Seattle is one of those communities!

The 2007 winners were chosen from a field of 23 finalists among 170 entries. Projects were evaluated on the basis of financial viability, the resourceful use of land, design, relevance to contemporary issues, and sensitivity to the community and environment. Each contributes to a live-work-play environment and is designed to complement and enhance the greater community.

• Best Master Planned Community
• Best Infill, Re-Development or Rehab Site Plan

The votes have been tallied, and the results are in... High Point in West Seattle wins top honors as "Best Master Planned Community of the Year" at the 2007 PCBC Gold Nugget Awards, May 31^st 2007!

The Gold Nugget Awards were born in 1963 at American Builder, for many years a national magazine of the building industry. They were conceived expressly for PCBC, to recognize builder/developer excellence throughout the 14 Western states. Almost immediately, the Gold Nuggets became known as "Best In The West," an accurate description of their trend-setting qualities and geographic reach.

At the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2006 National Convention and Design Expo, the AIA Housing and Custom Residential Knowledge Community announced the winners of the "Show You're Green" awards. The eight projects from all across the United States were chosen as excellent examples of outstanding housing that is aesthetically appealing while meeting "green" sustainable design guidelines. This award aims to showcase the wide range of ways that architects have included green elements in aesthetically excellent, affordable designs.

The High Point neighborhood in Seattle, entered by the architectural firm Mithun, was recognized for incorporating sustainability factors into the entire process-from recycling the previous development's old-growth lumber to natural drainage systems that mimic the drainage qualities of an open meadow. All homes meet local Built Green three-star standards, and 150 trees are preserved on-site.

In respecting the site's historic ecological significance, energy conservation exceeds code requirements by 30 to 50 percent. A natural drainage system cleans, cools, and filters storm water runoff to Longfellow Creek (location of the highest Coho salmon counts for all Seattle creeks), while four miles of grassy and vegetated swales enhance the watershed, preserving water and ecosystem quality. More than 90 percent of the old-growth cedar and fir from the original buildings were recovered for reuse.

Currently new homes are being created by a group of Northwest homebuilders, with Polygon Northwest and The Dwelling Company now presenting model homes.

San Francisco, CA – Seattle Housing Authority urban redevelopment project, High Point in West Seattle was awarded a prestigious Gold Nugget Grand Award as "On The, Boards Project of the Year."

The land plan for High Point, designed by the Seattle architectural firm MITHUN, was cited for its environmental sensitivity and excellent adaptation of urban land use values.

Now in its 41st year, the Gold Nugget Awards are the premier event of the annual PCBC (formerly Pacific Coast Builders Conference), an annual trade show and conference held each summer in San Francisco that attracts 25,000 building industry representatives. Awards were announced on June 18, 2004. The Gold Nugget Awards honor creative achievements in architectural design and land use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects. Entries come from 14 Western states and all countries bordering the Pacific Ocean.