Jim O'Connor Employee of the Year Award

Last year we unexpectedly lost our dear friend and colleague Jim O'Connor. To honor his memory Godden Sudik has started a new tradition. Evey year an employee who has demonstrated outstanding committed service and selfless acts of time and dedication will be honored with Jim's award. This year Alex Duran was awarded the Jim O'Connor Employee of the Year Award for always being a team player, just like Jim. Also, in Jim's honor the recipient of the award will receive two tickets to Rockies opening day since Jim never missed it. Go Rockies!

Solaire Wins National Green Building Award!

The NAHB’s Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Awards program highlights creative development concepts, innovative financing strategies, great design and superior management and marketing in the apartment and condo marketplace.
The Pillars awards are held in high esteem by top-level multifamily development companies, management firms and experts in the field. The annual competition is judged by a jury of knowledgeable peers, each having a proven record of success in various facets of the apartment and condo industry. Solaire won the 2015 NAHB Multifamily Pillars of the Industy Green Building Concepts Award! We are so proud of this project and want to thank everyone who contributed to its great success.

For a list of full winners click here.

For more information on Solaire click here.

A House of Horrors

H.H. Holmes’ Murder Castle – 601-603 West 63rd Street, Chicago, Il

Architect magazine featured a very timely article on bone chilling homes with strange pasts and floor plans... The Murder Castle in Chicago, The Winchester Mystery Mansion in San Jose, The Sowden House in Los Angeles, and The Halcyon House Washington DC are all featured in the freaky article detailing their unpredictable pasts and haunting presents. To find out what makes these homes creepy and famous click here.

MAME Award Winners Announced:

Godden Sudik Brings Home THREE, Including Detached Home of the Year!

 

 

It was another great night for Godden Sudik Architects Saturday, October 3rd, at the annual Marketing and Merchandising Excellence (MAME) Awards.  Presented by the Sales & Marketing Council and HBA of Metro Denver the MAME Awards honor the top achievers in the new home industry. These awards are presented to those who set the standard of excellence in the Denver homebuilding industry and we could not be more proud to be part of such a prestigious group of winners. We would like to offer our congratulations to all MAME winners and in particular to Berkeley Homes, Harrison Custom Homes, and Possibilities for Design who shared three awards with us. And our winners are:

Best Architectural Design of a Detached Home 2,200-2,600 sq ft.

Park Hill – The Bluebird – Berkeley Homes

Best on the Boards Architectural Design of a Home

Lemon Gulch Road – Harrison Custom Homes

Detached Home of the Year

Park Hill – The Bluebird – Berkeley Homes - Possibilities for Design

For a full list of MAME winners click here.

Godden Sudik Wins Big at Colorado Springs Parade of Homes

The Housing & Building Association of Colorado Springs (HBA) announced the winners of the People’s Choice Awards and the Industry Awards of Excellence for the 2015 Parade of Homes. This year’s featured homes ranged in price from less than $150,000 to almost $1,700,000. Twenty-four builders presented 32 homes dispersed among 21 communities for the 61st Annual Parade of Homes.

Industry professionals from around the state judged the homes on a number of features including landscape design, floor plan, architectural exterior, and interior decorating. The coveted People’s Choice Awards is voted on each year by Parade of Homes attendees. The People’s Choice and Industry Awards of Excellence are both broken out into multiple categories divided by price point. Industry Awards of Excellence are then further divided among the following eight categories: Best Kitchen, Best Master Suite, Best Interior Design, Best Exterior, Best Landscape Design, Best Architectural Exterior, Best Craftsmanship and Best Overall Home.

Designed by Godden Sudik and built by Century Communities, Lake of the Rockies is a new community in Monument boasting private open space adjacent to Monument Lake and within walking distance to Downtown Monument shops and dining. It’s situated West of I-25 and has incredible views of the mountains and easy access to Pike National Forest. It is slated to have two product types with 10 different floor plans. With an array of homes and plenty to do, this community will offer something for everyone. For more information on Lake of the Rockies click here. Brenda Harvey, who worked as the Project Manager, said, "what's special about this community is its location. It's nestled at the foothills on a lake. We took this environment into consideration when designing the elevations. We really wanted the homes to reflect and fit in with the beautiful natural environment that makes Lake of the Rockies so unique." Two plans were entered into the Parade of Homes competition.

And the winners are:


For $440,000-$500,000 - Residence 4511

Best Kitchen

Best Floor Plan

Best Craftsmanship

Best Overall Homes


And for $500,000-$600,000 - Residence 5530

Best Master Suite

Best Interior Design

Best Overall Home

NorthSky Makes the July Cover of Professional Builder!!!

The stunning rear of the 5040 is now famous!

Just in case you missed it, NorthSky graced the cover of Professional Builder Magazine last month. Congratulations to Berkeley Homes, Harvard Communities, and Ellis Hays Designs for the continued success of this amazing project! We couldn't be more proud to be part of such a great team,  and we couldn't be more humbled to be featured in a magazine that we ourselves use as a resource for building trends. To view the full article click here.

Check Out Our Website!

We are always making improvements to our website, and the latest and greatest feature is our newly launched "Resources" page! Browse images of architectural styles or brush up on your architectural terms; check out some of our favorite products and read articles written by our staff.

Click here to check it out!

Gold Nugget Awards of Merit Announced

NorthSky wins in two categories!

 

The 5010 boasts a beautiful open floor plan.

Gold Nugget Awards of Merit have just been announced and both the 5010 and 5040 plans at NorthSky are winners! Built by Berkeley Homes in collaboration with Harvard Communities with beautiful interiors by Ellis Hays Designs, NorthSky has been impressing both local and national judges since its opening last June. For a full list of Award of Merit winners click here. Grand Award winners will be announced June 25th at the Gold Nugget Awards Ceremony held at the San Diego Convention Center during PCBC. 

The 5040's infinity kitchen is perfect for entertaining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Most Lavishly Expensive Bathtubs in the World!

Kallista Archeo Copper Bathtub – $67,557

Beautiful? Yes! Practical? Probably not... Would you buy a bathtub costing more than some people's homes? These three tubs are no doubt amazing but perhaps a little too extravagant.

Baldi Rock Crystal bathtub – $790,310

Baldi malachite bathtub – $222,000

Lighting and Daylighting the Kitchen and Bath

Godden|Sudik Architects continues to share their design and lighting expertise with professional audiences on a national level.  Principal Paul Brady and Senior Architect Doug Walter co-presented two seminars at the recent Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, co-located with IBS in Las Vegas, January 20-22.

The first seminar, “Daylighting the Kitchen and Bath” explained the photobiologic impact of natural daylighting on all of us, and shared creative ways to maximize its use in a controlled fashion for any space, but especially the critical rooms where we cook and where we bathe. A subsequent seminar titled, “Lighting the Kitchen and Bath After the Sun Goes Down” explained optimized lighting layouts, and introduced attendees to many of the newer LED technologies that are revolutionizing the design profession. Both seminars were filled with dozens of case studies from around the country, both good and bad, to illustrate the point.

“Architecture is about designing quality spaces, and thoughtful lighting and daylighting are integral to that quality promise,” says Brady. Doug Walter added “Most homeowners are demanding lighter, brighter, and more open plans. With LED’s, it is now quite possible to increase light levels and light quality while reducing energy costs.”

Comments from attendees that came back on evaluations included “Best presentation (at the conference) so far,” “very practical and knowledgeable,” and “superb info!” Using some of the information from these KBIS talks, Doug Walter penned a piece that appeared in the February issue of Professional Remodeler, titled “7 Tips for Better Bathroom Lighting.” To read the article click here.

Famous Holdouts and Nail Houses

Holdouts, also fondly referred to as "nail houses" in China , are stubborn owners who refuse to sell or holdout for such a high price when a new development moves in that the new building is forced to proceed without them relocating. There are famous examples of these rather humorous situations around the world nicely pictured and described in an article appropriately titled , "Hell No We Won't Go! Homeowners Who Won't Budge," featured on msn. To read the full article and see other famous holdouts click here.

 Located in east China's Zhejiang province this is one of the most famous nail house. When a duck farmer and his wife refused to sell the newly constructed road when up around their home.

There appears to be a  holdout right here in Godden Sudik's backyard... As Kuni Lexus of Greenwood Village began construction it became obvious that the recently closed Grease Monkey was not going to be part of the new dealership. Now complete, the vacant former quick lube takes up the rather awkward north-west corner of what could, and probably should, be part of Kuni Lexus.

This aerial photo taken during construction perfectly shows the holdout.

PVI Tour

Thanks PVI!

Recently Alex Duran was invited to participate in a factory tour of PVI based in Fort Worth, TX. PVI is a manufacturer of commercial domestic and process water heaters. Godden|Sudik, and consultant Given & Associates, have recently specified PVI’s Conquest line of condensing water heaters for a potential active adult condominium project in Highlands Ranch, CO.

PVI took the time to explain their design and manufacturing process as well as the technology and science behind their products. It was enlightening to see the factory firsthand and see how a product goes from the drawing board to fabrication to installation.

Alex and Godden|Sudik would like to thank PVI for the opportunity to learn more about the products that are used in some of our multi-family projects. If you would like more information you can contact PVI’s local representative who helped organize this trip:

Long Building Technologies
Archie Warthen

5001 South Zuni Street

Littleton, CO 80120

(303) 975-2100

For more information on PVI please click here.

And of course a trip to Fort Worth wouldn’t be complete without a side visit to AT&T Stadium. 

NorthSky Wins TWO Nationals Awards at IBS!

Gary Godden accepting one of two awards at IBS last week.

Last week at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, NorthSky added two National Awards to its already impressive resume. Built by Berkeley Homes in collaboration with Harvard Communities, NorthSky previously won three MAME Awards including the prestigious award for Project of the Year. This wonderful project keeps on wowing home buyers and impressing judges making Godden Sudik very proud to be part of such an amazing project! For more information on NorthSky click here.

The stunning rear of the 5040 won Best Architectural
Design of a Single Family Home over 4,000 sq. ft.

The 5010 Ranch Plan won Best Architectural Design of a
Single Family Home 2,500 to 3,000 sq.ft.