The 23rd Annual Georgie Awards

The date: February 27th, 2015. The mood: distinctly celebratory. The event: the 23rd Annual Georgie Awards. On that evening, more than 500 people gathered at Vancouver’s Hyatt Regency Hotel to honour the crème de la crème of British Columbia’s vibrant residential construction industry — an industry that year after year becomes more innovative, creative and environmentally savvy.

Entries in the Georgie Awards’ more than 40 categories are submitted by builders, developers, renovators, and marketers throughout BC. And Rob Capar, immediate past president of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association-BC (CHBA-BC) and president of maison d’etre design-build inc, was delighted to announce the total number of entries in the 2014 competition had increased by 30 per cent compared to 2013 — making this a truly provincial competition. Judging takes place over three intense, exhausting days as a panel of industry experts, all from outside the province to ensure impartiality, choose the winners.

The Envelope Please…

The runaway leader this year was Naikoon Contracting Ltd, whose table was covered with seven gold Georgie Awards — four of them for Midori Uchi in North Vancouver. Boasting a dramatic, ultra-energy-efficient rammed wall as well as a design inspired by the distinctive, linear Japanese minimalism, Midori Uchi is one of the very rare Lower Mainland houses that are completely net-zero — on an annual basis, they return to the grid as much energy as they consume. No one was surprised when Naikoon was named Custom Home Builder of the Year.

Reflecting the growing demand for single-level, lock’n’go living, condominiums made a strong showing even in categories not specifically designated as such.

Named Multi-Family Home Builder of the Year, Adera took top honours in a total of five categories spanning three projects. Sail at UBC was named Residential Community of the Year after striking gold as Best Multi-Family Lowrise — a particularly sweet victory since this was one of the first six-storey, wood-frame construction lowrises to be built in Metro Vancouver. In North Vancouver, Adera’s already much honoured remix community garnered gold for the interior design of its display suite.

Salt, by long time Georgie Award participant Concert Properties, got the nod for Best Multi-Family Highrise. Located in downtown Vancouver, this 33-storey tower wowed buyers with its space-maximizing floorplans, integrated appliances and attractive pricing.

Fifth Avenue Real Estate Marketing struck gold in three of the evening’s four marketing categories — including Marketing Campaign of the Year — for The Ridge at Bose Farm. Located in Surrey on land that boasts more than 100 years of history as the historic Meadowridge Farm owned by four generations of the Bose family. The new, multi-phased, lowrise community includes a full restoration of the original barn and farmhouse, preservation of the mature forest along the southern property line, and offers a one-of-a-kind blend between contemporary interior design and the charm of tradition.

The 23rd Georgie Awards also recognized that renovating a condo introduces some unique challenges, and this year two categories celebrated this achievement. Best Condo Renovation Under $300,000 went to Vancouver based reVISION Custom Home Renovations for Petite & Chic — the transformation of a simple 628-square-foot condo into a dramatic personality statement. In White Rock, Moeski Design Agency won Best Condo Renovation Over $300,000 for a full penthouse renovation.

Building BC

“This year’s Georgie Awards winners showcase the imagination and ingenuity that resides and flourishes within our province,” noted Neil Moody, CHBA-BC’s CEO. “The increase in submissions as well as attendees at this gala demonstrates the vitality of the residential construction industry in our province. Congratulations to all the winners on a job well done.”

For a complete list of winners and more information about the Georgie Awards visit georgieawards.ca. For information about CHBA-BC, visit chbabc.org.