This custom home is derived from Chinese symbolism. The color red symbolizes luck, happiness and joy in the Chinese culture. The number 8 is the most prosperous number in Chinese culture. A custom 8 branch tree is showcased on an island in the pool and a red wall serves as the background for this piece of art. The home was designed in a L-shape to take advantage of the lake view from all areas of the home. The open floor plan features indoor/outdoor living with a generous lanai, three balconies and sliding glass walls that transform the home into a single indoor/outdoor space. An ARDA for Custom Home Design goes to Phil Kean Design Group Designer: Phil Kean Design Group From: Winter Park, Florida

You’ll never lack for style or sunshine in this inspired transitional design perfect for a growing family. The timeless design merges a variety of classic architectural influences and fits perfectly into any neighborhood. A farmhouse feel can be seen in the exterior’s peaked roof, while the shingled accents reference the ever-popular Craftsman style. Inside, an abundance of windows flood the openplan interior with light. An ARDA for Model Home Design goes to Visbeen Architects, Inc. Designers: Visbeen Architects, Inc. with Benchmark Design Studio From: East Grand Rapids, Michigan

With mature family buyers and empty-nesters in mind, this home has been inspired by an Italian lifestyle embodying the importance of family and friends. The exterior and the interior are tied together. The cottage elevation radiates a nostalgic charm and continues inside the home. The designers used a mood palette to create continuity making the home comfortable and relaxing. The interiors are designed to welcome family and friends with a warm atmosphere that transmits peace and serenity. A Grand ARDA for Model Home Design goes to Ashton Woods Designers: Centro Stile From: Roswell, Georgia

Inspiration for a modern home design remodel in San Francisco

This sunny design aims to capture amazing views as well as every ray of sunlight throughout the day. Architectural accents of the past give this modern barn-inspired design a historical look and importance. Custom details enhance both the exterior and interior, giving this home real curb appeal. Decorative brackets and large windows surround the main entrance, welcoming friends and family to the handsome board and batten exterior, which also features a solid stone foundation, varying symmetrical roof lines with interesting pitches, trusses, and a charming cupola over the garage. An ARDA for Published Designs goes to Visbeen Architects, Inc. Designers: Visbeen Architects, Inc. with Vision Interiors by Visbeen From: East Grand Rapids, Michigan

Minimalist exterior home photo

This completed home boasts a HERS index of zero. The most noteworthy energy efficient features are the air tightness of the thermal shell and the use of solar energy. Using a 17.1 kW Photovoltaic system and Tesla Powerwall, the solar system provides approximately 100% of the annual electrical energy needs. In addition, an innovative “pod” floor plan design allows each separate pod to be closed off for minimal HVAC use when unused. A Grand ARDA for Green Design goes to Phil Kean Design Group Designer: Phil Kean Design Group From: Winter Park, Florida

This completed home boasts a HERS index of zero. The most noteworthy energy efficient features are the air tightness of the thermal shell and the use of solar energy. Using a 17.1 kW Photovoltaic system and Tesla Powerwall, the solar system provides approximately 100% of the annual electrical energy needs. In addition, an innovative “pod” floor plan design allows each separate pod to be closed off for minimal HVAC use when unused. A Grand ARDA for Green Design goes to Phil Kean Design Group Designer: Phil Kean Design Group From: Winter Park, Florida

This brownstone had been left vacant long enough that a large family of 40 cats had taken up residence. Designed in 1878 and fully gutted along the way, this diamond in the rough left an open shell with very little original detail. After gently re-homing the kitty interlopers, building up and out was the primary goal of the owner in order to maximize the buildable area of the lot. While many of the home’s historical features had been destroyed, the owner sought to retain these features where possible. Of the original grand staircase, only one piece, the newel post, could be salvaged and restored. A Grand ARDA for Renovation Design goes to Dixon Projects Design: Dixon Projects From: New York, New York

Photo of a landscaping in Sydney.

2018 HNA Awards Honorable Mention - Concrete Paver - Permeable Contractor: Sequoia Stonescapes Producer: Williamette Graystone Designer: Drake's 7 Dees Landscaping Eco-Panorama Demi pavers, in a tri-color blend, perfectly complement this home’s exterior. Contrasting color paver bands artfully define the driveway and courtyard. The use of the same pavers in the walkway and courtyard created design continuity and flow. Paver color and texture enhance and seamlessly integrate with an adjacent natural stone retaining wall. Expert workmanship is showcased via smooth pavement elevation transitions and precise paver trim cuts. This quality Eco-Panorama Demi paver install ensured the homeowner’s stormwater drainage issues were addressed in a manner that enhanced the beauty of their home. The existing storm drain inlets were retained and work in conjunction with installed Eco-Panorama Demi permeable pavers. The pavers also achieve visual harmonization with the adjacent natural stone wall, which was a project requirement. This home is positioned at the lower end of a 200ft long drive that drops sixteen feet in elevation from the street entrance. Impervious concrete was replaced with PICP to manage 80,700 gallons of rainwater the pavement receives annually. The PICP improvement eliminated concerns over flooding in the home and garage. The 3500 SF pavement includes a courtyard and vehicle turnaround. Despite thirty-seven inches of annual rainfall, these homeowners will rest assured their property is protected from rainwater runoff. Keystone Hardscapes’ Eco-Panorama permeable pavers provide improved stormwater management and elevated property value. Stormwater controls critical to the project were achieved and aesthetic beauty was significantly enhanced.

This sustainable home by Aidlin Darling Design celebrates the intersection of earth and sky. One enters below grade and ascends vertically through the ground to arrive in a series of glass pavilions, anchored by rammed earth walls and sheltered under kite-like floating roofs. Ecological responsibility guided the design of this LEED-Platinum, Net Zero Energy home. Earth walls utilize on-site material resources and provide thermal mass. Lightweight roof planes orient photovoltaics toward the sun, guide rainwater to cisterns, and provide shade through calibrated overhangs. Photo courtesy of Aidlin Darling Design

Photo of a landscaping in Central Coast.

HNA Hardscape Project Award Winner Stark Residence Davey, Nebraska Paver Designs LLC The pool deck and entertainment area required three different levels, with several retaining walls to support each level. 72 LED ledge lights illuminate walls, columns and steps. Light colored pavers were used to minimize heat. The minimum base depth for this project was 12 inches with the pavers placed over bedding sand. The mosaic "Koi fish" were made using hollandstone pavers. A sealer was applied to the pavers to enrich their colors. The fish were selected by the homeowners from several sketches and the swirls were hand drawn with chalk until they were just right. They were then individually cut into the pool deck.

When this non-descript three-story brick row house was purchased by the client, it was stripped completely bare. The owner sought to add additional space, which was achieved by extending the rear of the home by a full 16 feet on the parlor, second and third levels. This not only provided roomier living spaces indoors, it created the opportunity to outfit each reconfigured floor with identical balconies. These outcroppings, finished with matte black railings and full NanaWall folding glass doors, provide the ideal outdoor space for relaxing and entertaining, while creating a harmonious uniformity to the rear façade. A Grand ARDA for Renovation Design goes to Dixon Projects Design: Dixon Projects From: New York, New York

As a design-build firm, the designer's focus for every project is to create a space that will not only suit the lifestyle of their clients, but also incorporate their personalities and sentimental belongings to truly make the home feel that it was built custom to them. This project encompassed the style and reclaimed artifacts from a completely different century. With timely features such as stacked stone, hand troweled limestone stucco, leaded glass windows, re-claimed 18th century European doors, slate and lead roof, gas lanterns and more, the clients wanted to replicate a traditional European home. An ARDA for Custom Home Design goes to Tongue & Groove LLC Designers: Tongue & Groove LLC with Rees Architecture PC From: Wilmington, North Carolina

The best of the past and present meet in this distinguished design. Custom craftsmanship and distinctive detailing lend to this lakefront residences’ classic design with a contemporary and light-filled floor plan. The main level features almost 3,000 square feet of open living, from the charming entry with multiple back of house spaces to the central kitchen and living room with stone clad fireplace. An ARDA for indoor living goes to Visbeen Architects, Inc. Designers: Vision Interiors by Visbeen with Visbeen Architects, Inc. From: East Grand Rapids, Michigan

Architect Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, San Francisco, CA Landscape Architect Bernard Trainor and Associates, Monterey, CA Stone Installers Jamey DeMaria Masonry, Carmel, CA Stone Quarry Finger Lakes Stone Company, Conklin, NY

This project was a City Redevelopment Association (CRA) waterfront redevelopment site in the City of Riviera Beach, Florida. The engineering firm of Calvin Giordano had to develop a design that would meet South Florida Water Management Districts permitting requirements covering current and future water Quality and Quantity standards. Understanding that future development on this site would be creating more impervious surfaces as well as needing additional parking we were able to work with the engineer and design a permeable system that would achieve the desired results required for permitting from the District. The system was comprised of 18" of washed #4 limerock, 5" of #57 limerock, 2" of #89 and the wearing course was a 3-1/8" Eco-Holland paver manufactured by Coastal, an Oldcastle Company. The installation took place over several months by Precise Paving. The 18' wide lower promenade along the marina bulkhead consisted of 25,000 SF of 4"x 8"x 3-1/8" Holland Stone interlocking concrete paver laid by hand. The upper promenade was installed as a permeable system using 75,000 SF of 4"x 8"x 3-1/8" Eco-Holland Stone permeable paver that was also installed by hand due to the number of planter boxes, and patterns involved making a machine installation difficult. The perimeter road that encircles the new building is 30,000SF also installed as a permeable system using the same paver as the upper promenade. This area was mechanically installed by Precise Paving allowing the contractor to meet his deadlines and open the new facility on time. All of this was accomplished by a coordinated effort from the design team, general contractor, City CRA, paver manufacturer, site contractor and installation contractor. 2016 HNA Awards Honorable Mention Honoree: Concrete Paver - Permeable - Commercial Contractor/Installer: Precise Paving Product Manufacturer: Oldcastle Coastal Designer: Calvin, Giordano & Associates Engineers, EDSA Landscape Architects