Presenting the 50+ Housing Awards of 2008

Consider the retirement communities of your father's day no more. The gold winners from this year's Best of 50+ Housing Awards are proof that home builders have thrown the dated retirement home concept out the window and are approaching housing for older consumers in a completely different way. And the biggest signifier that things have changed is variety. This year's winners are communities and homes that vary not only in type and purpose, but also in design, target market, size and amenities. In the Best of 50+ Housing Awards, you will find excellent design and smart marketing projects that cover all the bases.

As you look through the winners, notice this year's trends of the 50-plus market the judges noted:

• High-density projects on smaller plots of land
• A focus on energy-efficiency and sustainable building materials
• Amenities geared toward wellness, spirituality and meditation as opposed to just physical well-being
• Continuing education opportunities through nearby colleges and universities
• Maintaining home quality without the "bigger is better" mentality

Metropolitan Homes partnered with the local transit authority to plan a community that revolved around the local light rail. The home builder designed Vallagio at Inverness to give residents easy access to Denver by creating a covered pedestrian connection between the community and the light rail station. Metropolitan Homes created six different product series in a variety of styles, prices and sizes. All of the houses have several aging-in-place features that include large kitchen islands for easy access to all appliances and large doorways. The three-story townhome product series comes with optional personal elevators.

Project Name: Vallagio at Inverness
Location: Englewood, Colo.
Developer/Owner: Metropolitan Homes, Denver
Architect: Kephart community :: planning :: architecture, Denver
Builder: Metropolitan Homes, Denver
Interior Designer: Design Works, Denver
Photography: Steve Hinds Inc.

In building Adams Farm, Brendon Homes paid great detail to retaining the rural farm environment. The community has a classic New England motif, with hand-carved wooden signs and sprawling white fences. This feel is enhanced by the community's clubhouse, The Morgan Club, which is built in classic farmhouse style. Brendon Homes added extra detail to embody the classic New England aesthetic of country living, from cathedral ceilings and crown moldings to custom millwork and red oak hardwood floors. Extra care was taken to provide the necessary features for the 50+ consumer, such as minimal steps in the front entry; extra wide doors into and within the home; and varying countertop heights.

Project Name: Adams Farm
Location: Shrewsbury, Mass.
Developer/Owner: Brendon Homes, Southborough, Mass.
Architect: Shane Structures, Hopkinton, Mass.
Builder: Brendon Homes, Southborough, Mass.
Marketing Firm: Prime Time Communities, Littleton, Mass.
Interior Designer: Design East Interiors, Exeter, N.H.
Photography: Rixon Photography

Vintage Communities and Pulte Homes focused the design of Village at Deaton Creek by Del Webb around lifestyles. They realize the homeowners are at a point in their lives where they can spend more time doing activities they love. The houses have open kitchens and great rooms that make entertaining easy and a covered lanai that can be used year-round. Features also include wide hallways, lower thresholds and levers instead of doorknobs. A 35,000-square-foot clubhouse with a fitness center, library, gourmet kitchen, meeting room, billiards room, arts and crafts multi-purpose room and an indoor lap pool round out the community. Outdoor amenities include a lagoon-style pool, tennis courts, space for bocce ball, trails and a children's playground for visiting grandchildren.

Project Name: Village at Deaton Creek by Del Webb
Project Location: Hoschton, Ga.
Developer/Owner: Vintage Communities/Pulte Homes, Duluth, Ga.
Architect: Pulte Homes, Duluth, Ga.
Builder: Pulte Homes/Del Webb, Duluth, Ga.
Marketing Firm: Anderson Communications, Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Interior Designer: DEI, Kennesaw, Ga.
Photography: Warren Bond Photography

The focus of Stonebridge of Lake Bluff is the floor plan, The Hampshire. This floor plan centers on first-floor living with additional spaces. The design has wider hallways and doorways, easy opening doorknobs and shower entries that can adapt to wheelchairs if needed. The den, adjacent to a half-bath and the master bedroom, can turn into a second bedroom, and the half-bath can become a full bathroom. The dining room can be turned into a den. A few of the amenities in the community include a business center and a fitness center.

Project Name: Stonebridge of Lake Bluff
Project Location: Lake Bluff, Ill.
Developer/Owner: Stonebridge of Lake Bluff, Lake Bluff, Ill.
Architect: Myefski Cook Architects, Glencoe, Ill.
Builder: New England Builders, Skokie, Ill.
Marketing Firm: Leibson, McGrath, Mankedick, Northbrook, Ill.
Interior Designer: New England Builders, Skokie, Ill.
Photography: Soft Mirage, Jess Smith

Four Seasons Charlottesville, Creston II, has 600 detached single-family homes with spacious floor plans, just as K. Hovnanian Homes intended it. The home's living room and dining room are open to each other, so if a homeowner doesn't want a formal living and dining room, the room can be combined. The kitchen and family room sit at the back of the house where a wall of windows offers natural light. The kitchen's peninsula sink with a bar top, which faces the family room, offers a place to gather for drinks. The master bathroom has his-and-her sinks along with his-and-her closets in the master bedroom. The design is flexible in terms of space, but it is also universally designed for future use. The bathroom is reinforced for grab bars to be added if needed, and the shower is wide enough for a wheelchair. State of the art wiring is available with optional panic cell remotes.

Project Name: K. Hovnanian's Four Seasons Charlottesville, Creston II
Project Location: Ruckersville, Va.
Developer/Owner: K. Hovnanian's Four Seasons Active Adult Communities, Chantilly, Va.
Architect: K. Hovnanian Homes, Cary, N.C.
Builder: K. Hovnanian Four Seasons Active Adult Communities, Chantilly, Va.
Marketing Firm: SB&A, Richmond, Va.
Interior Designer: Design Works, Fairfax, Va.
Photography: Alan Goldstein Photography

The Preserve at Saddlebrooke, Sabino, is nothing short of luxury. Robson Communities added Old World craftsmanship to the architecture. The design is an intricate layer of indoor and outdoor living areas with age-specific design elements. The home is one story, which makes it easy to navigate. Extra-wide hallways give room for wheelchairs or scooters if they're needed. A walk-in shower allows easy maneuverability, and a comprehensive Homeowners' Association plan provides no-maintenance living. There is also an option for separate sleeping quarters as the homeowners age; a full guest suite with a private bath is located at the opposite side of the home. The front of the home boasts a casita, and homeowners also have studio space with a main great room or bedroom, a private bath and a sink or wet bar.

Project Name: The Preserve at Saddlebrooke, Sabino
Project Location: Tucson, Ariz.
Developer/Owner: Robson Communities, Sun Lakes, Ariz.
Architect: BSB Design, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Builder: Robson Communities, Sun Lakes, Ariz.
Interior Designer: Robson Communities, Sun Lakes, Ariz.
Photography: Mark Bolsclair

Chestnut Oaks Condominiums embodies a sense of community of high luxury and with a high quality of life. The condos have several strategies to bring together the residents and the community. They throw thematic lunches and events with great food and a chance to socialize. Community activities such as field trips on a free shuttle to local shopping, church services, cultural outings and entertainment cater to active homeowners. A movie theater hosts a weekly movie night with popcorn. And if that wasn't enough, residents reach out to the local community by adopting local groups and networking with the nearby community college; in turn, the groups provide on-site services for residents.

Project Name: Chestnut Oaks Condominiums
Project Location: Fort Washington, Md.
Developer/Owner: Poretsky Building Group, Washington, D.C.
Architect: Grimm + Parker Architects, Calverton, Md.
Builder: Meridian Construction Co., Gaithersburg, Md.
Marketing Firm: Joint Venture, Baltimore
Interior Designer: Peristyle, Baltimore
Photography: Kenneth M. Wyner

Terra Bella, located only 25 minutes from the Las Vegas strip, is the only multifamily attached project within a golf-oriented master planned community in Henderson, Nev. The age restricted development has a total of 236 condominiums (ranging from 1,423 to 2,200 square feet with five different floor plans) spread among identical 24-unit buildings. Builder Westmark Homes took advantage of the significant grade change on the site by configuring it into two levels to maximize views of downtown Las Vegas.

Project Name: Terra Bella
Location: Henderson, Nev.
Developer/Owner: Westmark Homes, Las Vegas
Architect: RNM Design, Newport Beach, Calif.
Builder: Westmark Homes, Las Vegas
Interior Designer: Carol Eichen Interiors, Santa Ana, Calif.
Photography: RNM Design

Metropolitan Homes was sensitive when the company designed Vallagio at Inverness, Moscato. The floor plan sets up mainly first-floor living that has several aging-in-place features that can be tapped if needed. Examples include the openness of the floor plan for ease of mobility, a large kitchen island that slows access to all appliances, a walk-in shower in the master bathroom and wide doorways. The developer also partnered with the neighboring Inverness Hotel and Golf Club to give residents access to its luxury amenities. The Moscato provides a maintenance-free, lock—and-leave lifestyle with all the benefits of an urban location.

Project Name: Vallagio at Inverness, Moscato
Project Location: Englewood, Colo.
Developer/Owner: Metropolitan Homes, Denver
Architect: Kephart community :: planning :: architecture, Denver
Builder: Metropolitan Homes, Denver
Interior Designer: Design Works, Denver
Photography: Steve Hinds Inc.

Steering away from the institutional feel of a typical assisted-living facility, Grace House has taken special measures to make theirs look and feel like a regular house. The building's size (two-story, T-shaped, 30 rooms) was kept purposefully small, and the exterior architectural style was chosen to match the single family-homes in the Mid-Atlantic region. Design and furnishings of the common areas (concentrated in one wing of the building's footprint) match rooms that would be found in a typical home. When possible, institutional necessities such as hand rails and fire-barrier doors are made less conspicuous, giving Grace House the single-family atmosphere it desired.

Project Name: Grace House
Location: Silver Spring, Md.
Developer/Owner: Victory Housing, Bethesda, Md.
Architect: Bennett Frank McCarthy Architects, Silver Spring, Md.
Builder: Hamel Builders, Elkridge, Md.
Interior Designer: Aumen Asner, Baltimore
Photography: Kenneth M. Wyner

Gold Award for Best For-Sale Attached Home Design — Over 2,400 Square Feet

Located in Southlake, Texas, a suburb 25 miles northwest of Dallas, Watermere at Southlake is an attached home development that's part of a 60-acre active-adult community. Watermere's attached villa and condominium homes are clustered in U shapes surrounding groomed motor courts. Designer Galier Tolson French used the Texas hill country as an inspiration for the exterior, which incorporates natural stone, stucco, cedar beams and tin roofs as accents. The villas come in 10 different floor plans, with kitchens and bathrooms incorporating universal design techniques enabling Watermere's residents to age with grace in place.

Project Name: Watermere at Southlake
Location: Southlake, Texas
Developer/Owner: Southlake Care Group, Southlake, Texas
Architect: Galier . Tolson . French Design Associates, Bedford, Texas
Builder: Integrated Construction, Southlake, Texas
Marketing Firm: RC&P, Lubbock, Texas
Interior Designer: Faulkner Design Group, Dallas
Photography: Doug Handel Photography

Envisioning a modernization for the 30-year-old continuing care retirement community, Friendship Village of Schaumburg, Schaumburg, Ill., worked with architecture firm Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue to give the community the updates it desired. The existing Friendship Village campus comprised 640 independent living apartments, 28 independent living cottages, 99 assisted-living units and 248 skilled nursing beds. In addition to a shift in the community's philosophy to focus on wellness instead of illness, a new six-story, 315,000-square-foot building was built to serve as the new campus entrance. The new facility consists of both common areas and 170 more independent living apartments.

Project Name: Friendship Village of Schaumburg
Location: Schaumburg, Ill.
Owner: Friendship Village of Schaumburg, Schaumburg, Ill.
Architect: Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue, Cleveland
Photography: David Miezel

For the Childers Place design team, the philosophy was simple: create a building that serves residents, visitors and staff alike. For residents, the private units are grouped into households and neighborhoods that include kitchens, dining venues, lounges and healing gardens. Workspaces, Wi-Fi and a café and courtyard are available for visitors' comfort. The staff is provided with a training center, premium space for functions and a private employee garden. The architecture stays true to Texas' Panhandle region and even manages to be both innovative and aesthetically pleasing while staying within Texas' strict regulations for nursing facilities.

Project Name: Childers Place
Location: Amarillo, Texas
Developer/Owner: The Bivins Foundations, Amarillo, Texas
Architect: Perkins Eastman, Chicago
Builder: Western Builders, Amarillo, Texas
Interior Designer: Perkins Eastman, Chicago
Photography: Chris Cooper

What's a city to do with a former hotel that survived two fires and years of neglect? Turn it into affordable senior housing, of course. The Snapps Hotel, built in 1907, was the jewel of downtown Excelsior Springs, Mo., but two fires left the building in bad shape. To revitalize the area, the city made plans for affordable senior housing and sold the old Snapps Hotel to developer Carlson Gardner Inc. for $1. After a $9.5 million renovation, there are 40 apartments that feature preserved terrazzo floors and a replica of Snapps' original marble staircase.

Project Name: Oaks Apartments
Location: Excelsior Springs, Mo.
Developer/Owner: Carlson Gardner Inc., Springfield, Mo.
Architect: Stark, Wilson, Duncan Architects, Kansas City, Mo.
Builder: DCI Construction, Springfield, Mo.
Marketing Firm: Mid America Management, Springfield, Mo.
Interior Designer: The Hollis & Miller Group, Overland Park, Kan.
Photography: Jeff Nichols

Built in 1895, Whitman Mill No. 1, a two-story former cotton textile mill, is quite possibly the least likely place to find senior independent living apartments. Having fallen into disrepair by the 1990s in a community that was in need of affordable 55-plus housing, developer WinnDevelopment worked to restore the mill within the National Park Service's historic preservation guidelines. The building, now Whaler's Place Apartments, comprises mostly one-bedroom flats, though what was once the boiler house now contains townhouse-style apartments. An assisted-living facility takes up the northern portion of the mill building, allowing residents to age in place.

Project Name: Whaler's Place Apartments
Location: New Bedford, Mass.
Developer/Owner: WinnDevelopment, Boston
Architect: The Architectural Team, Chelsea, Mass.
Project Location:Builder: Keith Construction, Stoughton, Mass.
Interior Designer: The Drawing Room Interior Design, Byfield, Mass.
Photography: Bruce T. Martin

Project Name: Brookhaven of East Cobb
Project Location: Kennesaw, Ga.
Developer/Owner: Chastain Road Development Partners, Atlanta
Architect: CADD, Cartersville, Ga.
Builder: Jim Chapman Communities, Atlanta
Interior Designer: L. Green Studios, Atlanta
Photography: Chris Voith Photography

Project Name: Meadow Lake Village Grand Lodge
Project Location: Meridian, Idaho
Developer/Owner: Touchmark Development and Construction, Beaverton, Ore.
Architect: Myhre Group Architects, Portland, Ore.
Builder: Andersen Construction Co., Boise, Idaho
Interior Designer: Myhre Group Architects, Portland, Ore.
Photography: Taylor Photo Graphics

Project Name: Sun City Festival
Project Location: Buckeye, Ariz.
Developer/Owner: Pulte Homes; Del Webb, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Architect: SHJ, Phoenix
Builder: Pulte Homes; Del Webb, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Marketing Firm: Chapter 2, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Interior Designer: Loewen Gunther Design Group, Phoenix
Photography: Todd Photography

Project Name: Terravista, The Pavilion
Location: Round Rock, Texas
Developer/Owner: Spicewood Development Inc., Austin, Texas
Architect: Kipp Flores Architects, Austin, Texas
Builder: Spicewood Development Inc., Austin, Texas
Marketing Firm: In House Marketing, Austin, Texas
Interior Designer: Mary DeWalt Design Group, Austin, Texas
Photography: Robert McGee

Project Name: Meadowbrook Pointe
Location: Westbury, N.Y.
Developer/Owner: Michael Dubb, Jericho, N.Y.
Architects: Axlerod & Cherveny, Architects, Commack, N.Y.; Barton Partners Architects, Norristown, Pa.
Builder: Meadowbrook Pointe Development Corp., Jericho, N.Y.
Marketing Firm: Marketing Specifics, Kennesaw, Ga.
Interior Designers: Mary Cook and Associates (models), Chicago; Beechwood Design Team (clubhouse), Jericho, N.Y.
Photography: Taylor Photography

Project Name: Del Prado Collections at Sonoma Ranch, Plan 1
Location: Las Cruces, N.M.
Developer/Owner: Sonoma Ranch Subdivision Co., Las Cruces, N.M.
Architect: Iverson Architects, Newport Beach, Calif.
Builder: Sonoma Ranch Subdivision Co., Las Cruces, N.M.
Marketing Firm: SGW Creative, Sequim, Wash.
Interior Designer: Possibilities for Design, Denver
Photography: Eric Lucero

Project Name: K. Hovnanian's Four Seasons Charlottesville, Wingate
Location: Ruckersville, Va.
Developer/Owner: K. Hovnanian's Four Seasons Active Adult Communities, Chantilly, Va.
Architect: K. Hovnanian Homes, Cary, N.C.
Builder: K. Hovnanian Four Seasons Active Adult Communities, Chantilly, Va.
Marketing Firm: SB&A, Richmond, Va.
Interior Designer: Model Home Interiors, Elk Ridge, Md.
Photography: Alan Goldstein Photography

Project Name: Del Prado Collections at Sonoma Ranch, Plan 2
Location: Las Cruces, N.M.
Developer/Owner: Sonoma Ranch Subdivision Co., Las Cruces, N.M.
Architect: Iverson Architects, Newport Beach, Calif.
Builder: Sonoma Ranch Subdivision Co., Las Cruces, N.M.
Marketing Firm: SGW Creative, Sequim, Wash.
Interior Designer: Possibilities for Design, Denver
Photography: Eric Lucero

Project Name: Regents Point
Location: Irvine, Calf.
Developer/Owner: Southern California Presbyterian Homes, Glendale, Calif.
Architect: Serdar Architecture, La Canada, Calif.
Interior Designer: CastleRock Design Group, Newport Beach, Calif.
Photography: John Bare Photography

Project Name: Garden Grove Senior Apartments
Location: Garden Grove, Calif.
Developer/Owner: Meta Housing Corp., Los Angeles
Architect: KTGY Group, Irvine, Calif.
Marketing Firm: Bernie D. Sandalow, Culver City, Calif.
Interior Designer: Linda Howard Interior Design, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Photography: Christopher Mayer Photography

Project Name: Victory Heights
Location: Washington, D.C.
Developer/Owner: Victory Housing, Bethesda, Md.
Architect: Torti Gallas & Partners, Silver Spring, Md.
Builder: Hamel Builders, Elkridge, Md.
Interior Designer: Aumen Asner Inc., Baltimore
Photography: Kenneth M. Wyner

Project Name: Peachtree Hills Place
Project Location: Atlanta
Developer/Owner: Isakson Barnhart, Atlanta
Architect: Foley Design Associates, East Point, Ga.
Marketing Firm: GlynnDevins Advertising & Marketing, Overland Park, Kan.
Interior Designer: Foley Design Associates, East Point, Ga.
Photography: B. Sheppard Consulting

Project Name: Warm Hearth Village
Project Location: Blacksburg, Va.
Developer/Owner: Warm Hearth Village — New Century Housing, Blacksburg, Va.
Architect: SFCS, Roanoke, Va.
Builder: Fralin & Waldron, Roanoake, Va.
Marketing Firm: Sharon Brooks & Associates, Richmond, Va.
Interior Designer: Builders' Design Inc., Gaithersburg, Md.
Photography: Virtual Solutions, Quebec, Canada

Project Name: Provenance, Mozart
Project Location: Longmont, Colo.
Developer/Owner: Bosch Land Group, Boulder, Colo.
Architect: Olson Architecture, Niwot, Colo.
Builder: Masterwork Home Co., Boulder, Colo.
Marketing Firm: Bosch Marketing Group, Boulder, Colo.
Photography: Olson Architecture

Project Name: Artesia, Unit A
Location: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Developer/Owner: Starpointe Properties, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Architect: Kephart community :: planning :: architecture, Denver
Builder: Starpointe Properties, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Photography: Kephart community :: planning :: architecture, Denver

Project Name: Taube-Koret Campus for Jewish Life
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
Developer/Owner: Jewish Homes for the Aged, San Francisco
Architect: Steinberg Architects, San Francisco
Builder: Webcor Builders, San Mateo, Calif.
Photography: Steinberg Architects

Project Name: Makemie Ridge
Location: Westtown Township, Pa.
Developer/Owner: Presby's Inspired Life, Lafayette Hill, Pa.
Architect: THW Design, Atlanta
Marketing Firm: RLS, Hartford, Conn.
Interior Designer: THW Design, Atlanta
Photography: THW Design, Atlanta

Gold Award for Best Affordable Rental Apartments' Common Area Interior Design

Project Name: Village at the Crossing
Location: San Bruno, Calif.
Developer/Owner: KDF Communities, Newport Beach, Calif.
Architect: Kwan Hemni Architecture, San Francisco
Builder: Cahill Construction, San Francisco
Interior Designer: Creative Design Consultants, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Photography: Matthew Millman Photography

Project Name: Santa Barbara Palms
Location: Las Vegas
Developer/Owner: George Gekakis Inc., Las Vegas
Architect: KKE of Nevada, Las Vegas
Builder: George Gekakis Inc., Las Vegas
Photography: ABDDBA 3D-China

Project Name: The Lodge at BridgeMill
Location: Canton, Ga.
Developer/Owner: The Club at BridgeMill, Troy, N.Y.
Architect: Niles Bolton Associates, Atlanta
Builder: American Construction Co., Troy, N.Y.
Marketing Firm: United Realty Management, Troy, N.Y.
Interior Designer: Niles Bolton Interiors, Atlanta
Logo Design: Kate Spiller, United Group of Companies

Project Name: Chester River Landing, Charleston
Location: Chestertown, Md.
Developer/Owner: Chestertown Associates, Gaithersburg, Md.
Architect: Morgan Design Group, Owings Mills, Md.
Builder: Covell Communities, Gaithersburg, Md.
Marketing Firm: NDG Communications, La Plata, Md.
Website Designer: NDG Communications, La Plata, Md.
Photography: Merick Towle Advertising

Project Name: Luma, The Lightness of Being
Location: Nayarit, Mexico
Developer/Owner: Front Porch Development Company, Burbank, Calif.
Architect: Del Sactillo Marquez y Architectos Asociados, S.C. Architect, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico
Builder: Front Porch Development Company, Burbank, Calif.
Marketing Firm: Greenhaus, San Diego
Interior Designer: Colectivo Arquitectos, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Website Designer: Greenhaus, San Diego
Photography: Art Brewer

Project Name: The Mather
Location: Evanston, Ill.
Developer/Owner: Mather LifeWays, Evanston, Ill.
Architect: Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Chicago
Builder: Power Construction, Schaumburg, Ill.
Marketing Firm: Mather LifeWays, Evanston, Ill.
Interior Designer: Interior Design Associates, Nashville, Tenn.

Project Name: The Willows at Brooking Park
Location: Chesterfield, Mo.
Developer/Owner: St. Andrews Resources for Seniors, Chesterfield, Mo.
Architect: Saur and Associates, Clayton, Mo.
Marketing Firm: SB&A, Richmond, Va.
Photography: SB&A, Richmond, Va.

Project Name: Valle Verde Retirement Community
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Developer/Owner: American Baptist Homes of the West, Pleasanton, Calif.
Marketing Firm: GlynnDevins Advertising + Marketing, Overland Park, Kan.
Photography: Corbis Photo

Project Name: Four Seasons at New Kent Vineyards
Location: New Kent, Va.
Developer/Owner: K. Hovnanian's Four Seasons, Chantilly, Va.
Builder: K Hovnanian's Four Seasons, Chantilly, Va.
Marketing Firm: SB&A, Richmond, Va.
Photography: Tony Silvestro

Project Name: Sun City Mesquite
Location: Mesquite, Nev.
Developer/Owner: Pulte Homes/Del Webb, Las Vegas
Architect: SHJ Studio, Phoenix
Builder: LEDCOR, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Marketing Firm: Susan Shook Associates , Newport Beach, Calif.
Interior Designer: Design Perspectives, Aurora, Colo.
Website Designer: Susan Shook Associates, Newport Beach, Calif.
Photography: Eric Jamison Studio