The Gold Nugget awards recognized architects for work that either makes a significant cultural difference or is significant design-wise. Here’s a look at some of the work recognized in 2010 with Orange County ties.
Irvine’s KTGY Group Inc., an architecture and planning firm, was honored with a 2010 Gold Nugget Award from the Pacific Coast Builders Conference. The firm received the Building Industry Community Spirit Awards’ “Grand Award”, which recognizes various philanthropic efforts made by the building community, for their design work on three Habitat for Humanity homes that recently were completed in Yorba Linda. The project used Habitat’s mixed-income model, which includes homes for both poor and middle-class families within the same development.
Long Beach-based Perkowitz+Ruth Archi-tects received a 2010 Gold Nugget Merit Award for Best Retail Project for the renovation of Brea Marketplace. The overall renovation added 60,350 square feet of retail space, and includes a 24-Hour Fitness, Fi-delity Investments, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Rubio’s Mexican Grill, Big 5 Sporting Goods, Renaissance Bistro, Ristorante La Cucina and a redeveloped T.G.I Friday’s, as well as a two-story Target. Updated landscaping, lighting and resurfacing of the parking area also was added to the 352,000-square-foot center, along with benches and shaded dining patios.
University of California, Irvine’s Human-ities Gateway Building, designed by Denver-based Fentress Architects, was awarded with a 2010 Gold Nugget Merit Award for Best Public/Private Special Use. The 76,000-square-foot four-story building features glass walls, outdoor areas and two first-floor conference rooms. The project cost an estimated $29 million and includes a film screening room and video editing laboratory, in addition to indoor and outdoor classrooms.
Irvine’s LPA Inc. received a 2010 Gold Nugget Merit Award for Best Rehab Com-mercial/Industrial Project for the Koll Airport Professional Center in Irvine. The two-story, 63,225-square-foot office and warehouse building, owned by Newport Beach’s Koll Co., was redeveloped into a one-story, 40,000-square-foot office building with of-fices available as small as 1,800 square feet. The center earned LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The project also included parking spaces for fuel-efficient vehicles.
The Moran Asian Gardens Condominiums in Westminster, designed by Irvine-based Danielian Associates, was honored with a 2010 Gold Nugget Award for Best Senior Housing. The 354,766-square-foot complex is within walking distance of Asian Garden Mall, which features restaurants, retailers and healthcare services. The development has three housing levels with 144 condos and a two-story parking structure. The clubhouses include recreation, fitness and indoor and outdoor lounge areas.
Costa Mesa-based Irwin Pancake Dawson Architects received a 2010 Gold Nugget Merit Award for Best Rehab Commercial/ Industrial Project for the Atria Golden Creek redevelopment in Irvine, a senior-assisted living center. The 92,171-square-foot space includes 123 apartments, with 90 earmarked for residents needing assistance and 33 used for residents with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
