June 25, 2025

Washington projects honored at the 2025 Golden Nugget Awards

Photo by Chris J. Roberts Photography [enlarge]

Bloom in Kirkland took home the top honor in the Best Multifamily Housing Community – 30 to 60 DU/Acre category.

The Pacific Coast Builders Conference recently announced the winners of its 2025 Golden Nugget Awards. Now in its 62nd year, the awards program recognizes the best projects and innovators in residential design, planning and development from across the United States.

Awards were presented to both single and multifamily projects in over 60 categories. Categories include custom homes, mixed-use, indoor-outdoor lifestyle, educational and senior housing. In each, best in category and merit awards were given.

A total of 695 entries were received this year. Of those, two Washington projects took home a best in category honor and 14 took home a merit award.

Seattle architecture firm Runberg Architecture Group designed two of the winning projects — the 775-unit, three-building Grand Street Commons in the Rainier Valley, and the 249-unit Ondina in Bellevue.

The Washington winners are as follows:

BEST IN CATEGORY WINNERS

Category: Best Multifamily Housing Community – 30 to 60 DU/Acre

Project name: Bloom

Location: Kirkland

Developer: Merit Homes

Architect: Encore Architects and Pelletier + Schaar

General contractor: W.G. Clark Construction Co.

Bloom is a 135-unit multifamily community located at 8505 132nd Ave. N.E. in Kirkland's Rose Hill area.

The two-building project totals 180,618 square feet, with a mix of studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments; 7,400 square feet of commercial space; 176 structured parking stalls and 25 surface stalls.

Designed to coexist with local businesses and the nearby downtown scene, the project sought to create a connection with nature and a sense of neighborhood. Residential balconies and large patio doorways weave into the existing walkable neighborhood. Shared outdoor amenities have wide sidewalks and there are pathways and landscaping throughout the site, creating both privacy and a sense of connection. In addition are plaza areas, outdoor barbecues, bike racks, water features and outdoor furnishings.

The development sits at a significant corner, located at a busy intersection bordering the cities of Kirkland and Redmond, and the junction of the North and South Rose Hill neighborhoods. Designers created a gateway marker with a two-story metal rose sculpture, honoring the history of Rose Hill and a commitment to the arts.

Photo by Clarity NW Photography [enlarge]

Thornton Creek Commons, a community of single-family homes in Northeast Seattle, won in multiple categories including Best Single Family Detached Home – Under 2,000 Square Feet.

Category: Best Infill Site Plan Solution

Project name: Thornton Creek Commons

Location: Seattle

Developer: The Cottage Company

Architect: Wenzlau Architects – Charles Wenzlau

General contractor: The Cottage Company

Category: Best Single Family Detached Home – Under 2,000 Square Feet

Project name: Thornton Creek Commons

Location: Seattle

Developer: The Cottage Company

Architect: Wenzlau Architects – Charles Wenzlau

General contractor: The Cottage Company

Thornton Creek Commons is a new “pocket neighborhood” in Northeast Seattle. The community has nine detached high-performance homes clustered on a 2.5-acre site bordering Thornton Creek.

Each home targets Built Green 5-Star certification and is Net Zero possible. The site includes an arboretum, fenced dog park, fire pit, and a meditation garden.

MERIT AWARD WINNERS

Category: Mixed Use Community of the Year

Project name: Shared Roof

Location: Seattle

Developer: 70th & Greenwood Ave. LLC

Architect: Johnston Architects

General contractor: Andersen Construction Group

Category: Multifamily Community of the Year

Project name: Grand Street Commons

Location: Seattle

Developer: Lake Union Partners, HAL Real Estate, Mt. Baker Housing

Architect: Runberg Architecture Group

General contractor: W.G. Clark Construction

Category: Residential Detached Collection of the Year

Project name: Thornton Creek Commons

Location: Seattle

Developer: The Cottage Company

Architect: Wenzlau Architects – Charles Wenzlau

General Contractor: The Cottage Company

Category: Best Renovated or Restored Single House

Project name: Champagne Point

Location: Kirkland

Architect: DAHLIN Architecture, Planning, Interiors

General contractor: Nilsson Homes

Category: Best Renovated or Restored Single House

Project name: Mid-Century Luxe

Location: Mercer Island

Architect: Wettstone Studio

General contractor: Dyna Builders

Category: Best Renovated, Restored or Adaptive Re-Use Residential Project

Project name: YWCA 5TH and Seneca

Location: Seattle

Developer: YWCA Seattle, King, Snohomish

Architect: SMR Architects

General contractor: Andersen Construction

Category: Best Affordable Housing Community – 100 DU/Acre or More

Project name: 13th and Fir Family Housing

Location: Seattle

Developer: SCIDpda and Community Roots Housing

Architect: Mithun

General contractor: Marpac Construction

Category: Best Affordable Housing Community – 100 DU/Acre or More

Project name: Africatown Plaza

Location: Seattle

Developer: Africatown Community Land Trust

Architect: David Baker Architects and GGLO

General contractor: Absher Construction and M.A.D. Construction

Category: Best Multifamily Housing Community – 100 DU/Acre or More

Project name: Grand Street Commons

Location: Seattle

Developer: Lake Union Partners, HAL Real Estate, Mt. Baker Housing

Architect: Runberg Architecture Group

General contractor: W.G. Clark Construction

Category: Best Multifamily Housing Community – 100 DU/Acre or More

Photo courtesy of Runberg Architecture Group [enlarge]

Runberg Architecture Group designed two of the winning projects, including this community, Ondina, in Bellevue.

Project name: Ondina

Location: Bellevue

Developer: Vulcan Real Estate

Architect: Runberg Architecture Group

General contractor: Exxel Pacific

Category: Best Landscape Architecture for a Community

Project name: Tehaleh

Location: Bonney Lake

Developer: Brookfield Residential

Landscape architect: GCH Planning & Landscape Architecture and MacKay Sposito

Category: Best Single Family Detached Home – Under 2,000 Square Feet

Project name: 1820 – Wycliff Cottage

Location: Kirkland

Developer: Legacy Capital

Architect: Mike Johnson – MWJ Homes

General contractor: BriKat Homes

Category: Best Single Family Detached Home – 3,000 to 3,500 Square Feet

Project name: Alterra – Plan 1

Location: Newcastle

Developer: Tri Pointe Homes

Architect: Woodley Architectural Group

Category: Best Interior Design of a Multifamily Community

Project name: The Spoke

Location: Redmond

Developer: MainStreet Property Group

Architect: Tiscareno

Interior design: DAHLIN Architecture, Planning, Interiors

General contractor: GenCap Construction Corp.

The 2025 Golden Nugget Awards grand honorees were recognized at a ceremony June 11 in Anaheim, California, during Pacific Coast Builders' recent regional conference and trade show for real estate development. The full list of winners is at https://tinyurl.com/GNawards2025