Levi Stadium - Smarter Than the Competition

With the Denver Broncos traveling to San Francisco to take on the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, naturally as architects, we wanted to check out where they would be playing. Go Broncos!!

 Levi’s® Stadium was designed by HNTB and built by Turner/Devcon for the Santa Clara Stadium Authority. The $1.2 billion venue has 1.85 million square feet, seats approximately 68,500 and features 165 luxury suites and 8,500 club seats. One of the most unique features of the facility is the green roof atop the suite tower on the west side of the stadium. The three solar bridges, connecting the main parking area to the stadium, will include hundreds of solar panels.


According to Time magazine, Levi Stadium is technically far superior to the rest. Contributor Tim Bajarin says, "Most people have heard of smartphones, smart cars and smart homes. Say hello to the smart stadium.Set in the heart of Silicon Valley, Levi’s Stadium — home to the San Francisco 49ers — is now the most high-tech stadium anywhere in the world.It’s in the center of the tech universe, of course, so it’s only natural that 49ers management decided to devote a significant sum of money to building high-tech infrastructure. The stadium will allow all 70,000+ fans to connect to Wi-Fi and 4G networks to take advantage of personalized services, making the event experience more enjoyable.
I had the privilege of attending the inaugural event at Levi’s Stadium, where the San Jose Earthquakes took on the Seattle Sounders in an MLS league game. About 49,000 people attended that event, well below the stadium’s 70,000+ seat capacity, so the game served as a dry run to work out some of the kinks. I also attended the first NFL game to be played in the stadium: the Denver Broncos came to town to help the 49ers christen the stadium in a preseason game on Aug 17. The first regular-season NFL game will be held there on Sept 14, and will serve as the official grand opening of the stadium."

To read more about Levi Stadiums tech advances click here.

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.