GTA's top builders and projects celebrated at annual awards

GREATER TORONTO, April 29, 2016 /CNW/ - The best of the GTA's home building and land development industry including top builders, communities, designs and campaigns were recognized at the 36^th annual BILD Awards on April 28.

Awards for excellence in sales, marketing, design and construction of new homes in the GTA were handed out by the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) in 47 categories. A group of expert judges from across North America determined the winners from more than 900 submitted entries.

This year's program featured many new modernized categories that reflect today's GTA housing market such as awards for innovation and the inclusion of mid-rise developments within several awards. For the first time ever, two Home Builders of the Year were recognized, Great Gulf Homes for low-rise and Tridel for mid and high-rise.

The coveted People's Choice Award, determined by members of the public through online voting, was awarded to Friday Harbour by Geranium Corporation and Pemberton Group. The resort-style development in Innisfil will feature walkable streets and inviting public spaces where residents will enjoy amenities like an 18-hole championship golf course, a nature preserve and a vibrant marina.

"This is a special award because it is completely decided by the public," said BILD President and CEO Bryan Tuckey. "The eight projects vying for the title this year were all unique and show how the industry is providing a wide range of choices to new home buyers across the GTA."

In addition to the Home Builder of the Year title, Tridel was named Green Builder of the Year for its outstanding leadership in green building practices, and the company also won the inaugural Best Customer Care award for its many customer service initiatives.

The award for the Best New Community currently planned or under development was presented to Aspen Ridge Homes, CountryWide Homes and Lakeview Homes for Queensville – a new community just north of Newmarket. This award recognizes a community that embodies the smart growth principles of the provincial Growth Plan.

The inaugural award for Best New Community – Built was presented to Hullmark Developments and Tridel for Hullmark Centre in North York. This new award, the only one given out for a constructed project, honours the best existing "complete community" that embodies provincial smart growth principles. Completed in 2015, Hullmark Centre features residential, office and retail space with direct access to the Yonge-Sheppard subway station.

Two outstanding new GTA developments, one low-rise and one mid/high-rise, were crowned Project of the Year. This distinction recognizes projects that best combine excellence in design and marketing while exemplifying quality and innovation.

A townhome development called 35 Wabash by Zinc Developments won the prize for Project of the Year Low-rise and a uniquely designed mixed-use condo development at Yonge and Eglinton called Art Shoppe Lofts + Condos by Freed Developments and Capital Developments won the Project of the Year Mid/High-rise award.

A brand new accolade for Best Mid-Rise Building Design was presented to the VANDYK Group of Companies for The Craftsman Condominium Residences in Mississauga, which consists of three interconnected mid-rise buildings in the shape of a W, designed as an homage to Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as to create more corner units and terraces.

The award for Best Innovative Suite Design, a new award which recognizes suites designed to increase housing choices for entry-level consumers, was presented to Building Capital Inc. for SmartStudios™, a 274-square-foot condo showcasing multi-purpose features within the University Studios project in Oshawa.

Best Innovative Home Design was awarded to Mason Homes for the Oakwood, one of its Courtyard Collection residences in Port Hope. At 2,122-square-feet, it was the Oakwood model's urban design that enabled it to be built as a detached, semi-detached home or townhome with a sale price starting at $387,900.

In a special presentation, Ignat "Iggy" Kaneff was honoured with the BILD Lifetime Achievement Award. The CEO and Chairman of the Kanefff Group of Companies has built thousands of family homes, high-rise residential apartment units, as well as retail commercial plazas and office buildings in the GTA.

"The GTA is home to some of the best projects in the world thanks to the hard work of local industry professionals," said BILD President and CEO Bryan Tuckey. "Their hard work is a testament to the quality of our communities, which is what makes the GTA such a great place to live."

Additional news releases for Home Builders of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award recipients are available.

With more than 1,450 members, BILD, formed through the merger of the Greater Toronto Home Builders' Association and Urban Development Institute/Ontario, is the voice of the land development, home building and professional renovation industry in the Greater Toronto Area.  BILD is proudly affiliated with the Ontario and Canadian Home Builders' Associations.

Award Winners

HOME BUILDER OF THE YEAR – MID/HIGH-RISE
Tridel

HOME BUILDER OF THE YEAR – LOW-RISE
Great Gulf Homes

GREEN BUILDER OF THE YEAR
Tridel

PROJECT OF THE YEAR – MID/HIGH-RISE
Art Shoppe Lofts + Condos - Freed Developments, Capital Developments, Brandon Communications Inc., Cecconi Simone Inc., DesignStor, Montana Steele Advertising, PSR Brokerage Ltd.

PROJECT OF THE YEAR – LOW-RISE
35 Wabash - Zinc Developments, BA Consulting Group, Bousfields Inc., The Brand Factory, Brandon Communications Inc., Design Agency, exp, Firm Capital Corporation, PSR Brokerage Ltd., RAW Design, Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
Geranium Corporation and Pemberton Group, Friday Harbour - The Brand Factory, The Morrison Group

BEST NEW COMMUNITY – BUILT
Hullmark Centre – Tridel, Hullmark Developments Inc., The Brand Factory, Brandon Communications Inc., Drive Agency, Mike Niven Interior Design Inc.

BEST NEW COMMUNITY – PLANNED OR UNDER DEVELOPMENT
Queensville - Aspen Ridge Homes, CountryWide Homes, Lakeview Homes Inc, BAM Builder Advertising and Marketing Inc.

RILEY BRETHOUR LEADERSHIP AWARD
Hunter Milborne, Milborne Real Estate Inc.

STEPHEN DUPUIS HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Steve Stipsits, Branthaven Homes

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Ignat "Iggy" Kaneff, Kanefff Group of Companies

BEST LOGO – MID/HIGH-RISE
Signature Communities, East United Condos - Blackjet Inc.

BEST LOGO – LOW-RISE
Kettlebeck Developments, Brick&Oak

BEST SIGNAGE
Tridel, Bowery

BEST DIRECT MAIL
Tridel, SQ2 - The Brand Factory

BEST PRINT AD
Geranium Corporation and Pemberton Group, Friday Harbour - The Brand Factory

BEST BROCHURE – MID/HIGH-RISE
Signature Communities, East United Condos - Blackjet Inc.

BEST BROCHURE – LOW-RISE
Zinc Developments, 35 Wabash - The Brand Factory, Brandon Communications Inc.

BEST RADIO AD CAMPAIGN
Geranium Corporation and Pemberton Group, Friday Harbour - The Brand Factory

BEST WEBSITE – MID/HIGH-RISE
Great Gulf Homes, Trafalgar Landing - DesignStor, weare1188

BEST WEBSITE – LOW-RISE
Mattamy Homes Limited, Mattamy Homes Website Redesign - Bensimon Byrne

BEST SALES VIDEO 
Empire Communities - Pureblink

BEST NON-SALES VIDEO
Geranium Corporation, Construction & Craftsmanship - Builder Insight Group Inc., The Morrison Group

BEST RENDERING – MID/HIGH-RISE
Geranium Corporation and Pemberton Group, Friday Harbour - The Brand Factory

BEST RENDERING – LOW-RISE
Sorbara Group of Companies, Crafthouse at St. Andrews - Paul Johnston: Unique Urban Homes, Pureblink

BEST PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN
Signature Communities, East United Condos - Blackjet Inc., Kim Graham & Associates Inc.

BEST DIGITAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN – MID/HIGH-RISE
Aspen Ridge Homes, Aspire - The Brand Factory

BEST DIGITAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN – LOW-RISE
Lancaster Homes Inc. and Zancor Homes Ltd., Pine River - BAM Builder Advertising and Marketing Inc.

BEST MARKETING INNOVATION
Minto Communities, Minto Bside - Kim Graham & Associates Inc., Montana Steele Advertising

BEST OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN (PINNACLE)
Geranium Corporation and Pemberton Group, Friday Harbour - The Brand Factory

BEST SUITE DESIGN
Adi Development Group Inc., Nautique Lakefront Residences, Norte - Cecconi Simone Inc.

BEST INNOVATIVE SUITE DESIGN
Building Capital Inc., University Studios, SmartStudiosTM - McOuat Partnership

BEST LUXURY SUITE DESIGN
North Drive Investments Inc., The High Park, The High Park Penthouse - Cecconi Simone Inc., Quadrangle Architecture and Interiors

BEST MODEL SUITE
Camrost Felcorp Inc., Yorkville Private Estates - Montana Steele Advertising

BEST MID-RISE BUILDING DESIGN (PINNACLE)
VANDYK Group of Companies, The Craftsman Condominium Residences - U31 Design

BEST HIGH-RISE BUILDING DESIGN (PINNACLE)
Signature Communities, East United Condos - Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. Architects

BEST SINGLE DETACHED HOME DESIGN
Tribute Communities, Gates of Nobleton, Wedgewood - Cassidy & Co. Architectural Technologists, Guidelines Advertising Inc.

BEST INNOVATIVE HOME DESIGN
Mason Homes, Parklands, The Oakwood Model - Builder Insight Group Inc.

BEST SEMI-DETACHED OR TOWNHOME DESIGN
Minto Communities, Minto Oakvillage, Castlerock - RN Design Ltd.

BEST LUXURY HOME DESIGN
Sorbara Group of Companies, Crafthouse at St. Andrews, Crafthouse Model E - Paul Johnston: Unique Urban Homes, Symbolics Architecture + Design

BEST MODEL HOME
Menkes Developments Ltd., Pears on the Avenue, TH 1

BEST SALESPERSON OR TEAM – MID/HIGH-RISE
Tridel - Juliana Tsui and Chili Yung            

BEST SALESPERSON OR TEAM – LOW-RISE
Minto Communities

BEST SALES OFFICE - SMALL
Zinc Developments, 35 Wabash - The Brand Factory, Brandon Communications Inc., Design Agency, PSR Brokerage Ltd.

BEST SALES OFFICE - LARGE
Curated Properties, CABIN - Paul Johnston: Unique Urban Homes, RAW Design

BEST MARKETING PERSON OR TEAM
Minto Communities

BEST DESIGN TEAM
Fieldgate Homes and Hullmark Developments Inc. - Quadrangle Architecture and Interiors

BEST CUSTOMER CARE
Tridel

SOURCE Building Industry and Land Development Association

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