The Built Green Hammer Awards honor members for their outstanding projects and contributions to sustainable homebuilding over the past year in different building categories. Check out the winners:
Builder, Custom or Small Speculative, 10 or Less Homes—nwBuilt
nwBuilt designs and builds thoughtful, energy efficient homes in the Pacific Northwest using their Smart Green approach. With deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, nwBuilt is committed to providing a responsible solution to our region’s housing needs. This past year they certified 10 homes; six 5-star and four 4-star. They have since committed to targeting 5-star certifications for all their projects. We want to give an honorable mention to one of their Ballard townhome projects, where they partnered with Nickel Bros to relocate the original bungalow, instead of demolishing it, to provide a new affordable home in the San Juan Islands.
Builder, Custom or Small Speculative, 10 or Less Homes—Martha Rose Construction
Marth Rose’s award-winning Abbott’s Alley is a small enclave of City Cabins. Located in the heart of Skagit County to address a housing shortage in Sedro-Woolley, the homes have all of the healthy-home and energy efficiency features you have come to expect in a Martha Rose Construction project. The six live/work townhomes are Built Green 5-star and Net Zero Energy certified, achieving a HERS Index of -10 and demonstrating an alternative way to build and live in a rural community.
Builder, Small Production, 11–100 Homes—Blackwood Builders
Blackwood Builders Group is a team of contractors, project managers, designers, and real estate developers that build custom spec homes in the Seattle area. The Built Green process in an important aspect of their site plans. Over the past year, they have had many highlights in implementing Built Green values into their projects. Reducing emissions and having an overall positive impact on the environment and in their communities is one of their highest priorities. This past year they certified 42 4-star homes.
Builder, Small Production, 11–100 Homes—Green Canopy
Green Canopy was born out of a deep desire to address climate change. It was deliberately started to combat and lessen the negative impacts of climate change and resource scarcity via in-city homebuilding. Their business philosophy and corporate culture has emerged from their collective values—values that are defined and re-defined each year by their employees—not just their marketing staff. Over the last year they certified 36 homes: 10 4-star and 26 5-star.
Builder, Large Production, More Than 100 Homes—Isola Homes
Isola Homes is a locally owned company dedicated to building homes that embody the evolving needs of homeowners and communities. They are passionate about sustainable design, environmental stewardship and making valuable and enduring contributions to the communities in which they build. In the past year they certified 143 homes at the 4-Star level!
Builder, Small Multifamily—529 Federal LLC
525 Federal is a 29-unit, 4-star certified multifamily building on Capitol Hill. 529 Federal LLC is a subsidiary of G2 Development LLC. G2 is a local Seattle developer specializing in urban infill projects located in the city’s urban core. They are committed to sustainable design and materials while also striving to build projects that are reflective of the neighborhood in which they are built, have efficient layouts, and are built with the highest quality materials. This project features an 8 kW rooftop solar array and a walk score of 98.
Builder, Large Multifamily—Arion Investments LLC
Arion Investments LLC won a Green Hammer award for their DXU Apartments. DXU is a seven-story, 99 unit, Built Green 4-Star multifamily building in Seattle’s University District, designed by Johnston Architects. The project’s bright and playful façade adds liveliness and dimension to the neighborhood, modeled after stacked shipping containers. Solar panels on the roof, along with extra insulation, programmable thermostats, and an ultra high-efficiency heat pump keep energy usage and cost down.
Habitat for Humanity brings people together as volunteers, homeowners, financial and material donors, and community members to create strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter. Habitat focuses on its sustainability efforts, because they feel this provides the most benefit for their families. This Green Hammer award is for the Sammamish Cottage Community, which is a small community of 10 4-star certified, affordable cottages.
The winner of the Project of the Year is TC Legend Homes' Trax Farmhouse, the 20,000th Built Green certified project! TC Legend Homes is no stranger to net zero building, and this year’s modern farmhouse located in Everson, Washington is a 5-star Net Zero Energy certified home. The home’s solar panels produce an annual 4250 kWh surplus and 21% of its nearly 5 acres has been granted in perpetuity as a conservation easement to Whatcom County.
Jess Harris and Ellen Aebischer have always gone above and beyond in advocating for the Built Green program. They helped incorporate Built Green into the City of Seattle expedited permitting process and are willing to help the organization in any way possible. Through our long-standing public-private partnership we have been able to change the Seattle housing market, leading to certifying over 70% of all new single-family homes in Seattle with Built Green. Furthermore, their team has set an example for how finding the right incentives can transform a city’s building market.
The Evergreen Certified team gives tremendous support to the Built Green program by always advocating on Built Green’s behalf to transform the area building market towards a sustainable future. They have turned numerous clients from sustainability skeptics to Built Green proponents. Over the last 20 years they have verified nearly 5,000 Built Green certified projects. A true partner from the beginning, they have been strong advocates and key partners in the evolution of Built Green.
Built Green Pioneer—Grace Huang
Grace is a licensed architect and LEED accredited professional specializing in sustainable building practices, healthy homes, and universal design. With almost 20 years in the industry, she brings her extensive residential design experience to the Built Green Executive Committee to help shape the Built Green checklists. Her Perkins Lane 5-star Built Green certified remodel in Magnolia was featured as a green home case study by the Seattle Department of Planning and Development. In 2017, she was also awarded an MBAKS T-REX award in the category of Kitchen Excellence.
Built Green Pioneer—Kinley Deller
The Built Green Pioneer Award goes to an individual who has made a significant contribution to Built Green program.
Kinley Deller is a waste reduction specialist at King County, with over 21 years of experience working to divert construction and demolition materials of value to higher and better purposes. He was awarded Kitsap County Green Building of the Year Award in 2007 and the Building Material Reuse Association’s Walnut Mallet Award in 2013. Kinley is also a part of our Built Green Executive Committee and has helped significantly to define Built Green’s waste reduction and reuse strategies.