The 31st annual Georgie Awards: Celebrating BC’s residential construction excellence

For more than three decades, the Canadian Homebuilders’ Association of British Columbia (CHBA BC) annual Georgie Awards have honoured this province’s top builders, renovators, designers, and marketers. And 2023 was no exception.

This year’s theme at the May 20 gala event was a whimsical trip to the Emerald City in the Land of Oz. The sell-out crowd was treated to a dazzling trapeze performance by Destineak and the now traditional humour of long-time emcees Todd Talbot (host of HGTV’s Love It or List It) and Erin Cebula (ET Canada). A pre-ceremony video featured Neil Moody, CEO of CHBA BC going undercover as a befuddled restoration painter prepping the Yellow Brick Road’s entry gate, while Laura Sew, senior director of events and education programs, played an enthusiastic gardener ensuring the gardens lent a playful twist to the festivities.

And the winners are…

Century Group was this year’s big Georgie winner. The Tsawwassen-based company garnered top honours in five categories – more than any other company – by converting all five of their finalist positions into gold. Among their wins was the prestigious Residential Community of the Year grand award for its innovative Southlands Tsawwassen master-planned community.

Bob Ransford, vice-president of development at Century Group, credits his team’s focus on thinking outside the box, and the city of Delta’s willingness to support Century Group’s design vision as contributing factors. “We’ve created the complete opposite of what you normally see when you have urban development adjacent to an agricultural area. At Southlands, we’ve been able to integrate agriculture right into the community, including a farmers’ market, where local farmers can sell their produce.”

He’s also delighted the community’s Courtyard Cottages –just one of a diverse range of home types – was named Best Single-Family Home Production Development. “It’s a new type of housing for this area, one where detached cottages share a common courtyard. We’ve already got plans for two more strata plans of the same type.”

Following a strong showing at the HAVAN Awards, Landmark Premiere Properties’ dazzling Foster Martin midrise in White Rock got the nod twice, including Best Multi-Family Mid/High Rise Development. Newcomer One-of-One Building Collective also wowed the judges twice with its East Kootenay project, The Ridge House.
Long-time participants, Adera and Miracon both took home a gold, along with CCI Renovations’ Hatha House, an innovative reimagining of the classic guest cottage/artist studio.

“As we gather to celebrate, let us take a moment to acknowledge the progress we’ve made together in the face of the challenges over the last year,” Moody noted. “As an industry, we’ve adapted to changing market conditions, supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and high interest rates. The projects that are finalists for the Georgie Awards projects are a testament to the residential construction industry’s strength, resilience, and commitment to excellence.”
For more information about the Georgie Awards and to view all winning entries, visit georgieawards.ca