Borealis Apartments in South Lake Union Wins National Gold Nugget Award as Outstanding Affordable Housing Project
- Borealis Apartments expands much-needed workforce housing options to help meet the needs of Seattle’s working residents
Vulcan Real Estate and Runberg Architecture Group today announced that Borealis Apartments has been recognized with an award for Outstanding Affordable Housing Project from the Gold Nugget Awards, hosted by the Pacific Coast Builders Conference to honor builder/developer excellence throughout the 14 Western states.
“Vulcan Real Estate and Runberg Architecture Group share a commitment to providing well-designed, sustainable workforce housing solutions that help meet the needs of this underserved segment in Seattle and enhance the surrounding community,” said Ada M. Healey, vice president of real estate for Vulcan Inc. “We are honored that our industry peers have recognized our efforts with this prestigious award.”
Presented by the Pacific Coast Builders Conference, the 46th annual Gold Nugget Awards recognize excellence among builders, developers, architects, and land planners with communities and projects in the 14 Western States as well as international countries. Gold Nugget award winners are selected based on excellence and innovation in addressing complex design/build issues.
Gold Nugget judges awarded Borealis Apartments as Outstanding Affordable Housing Project for its ability to creatively address affordability and sustainability values. Judges were impressed by its innovative solution merging state-of-the-art design elements with a variety of sustainable attributes, including green spaces artfully integrated with colorful building forms at both the building and unit levels.
Opened in May 2008, Borealis Apartments provide modern, high-quality sustainable apartments in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood priced to be affordable for individuals and families earning less than 80 percent of the median household income for King County. Located at the northwest corner of Denny Way and Dexter Avenue North, the 33,000-square-foot, six-story building includes 53 apartments with studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units. Nearly 3,600 square feet of retail space is also located on the ground floor. W.G. Clark Construction Co. was the general contractor for Borealis Apartments.
As an environmentally friendly development, Borealis Apartments has received three-star Built Green certification from the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, and is also participating in Seattle City Light’s Built Smart program. Sustainable features include low-flow fixtures, Energy Star appliances, low VOC finishes, increased natural daylight, exterior green screens and bike storage.
"We are pleased to be honored with the Gold Nugget Award recognition of this project,” said Runberg Architecture Group principal Michele Wang. “There is a perception that affordable housing does not coincide with sustainable design. Borealis Apartments represents a notable example of an innovative workforce housing project that incorporates numerous green features that will hopefully help dispel that myth."
Runberg Architecture Group was also recognized at this year’s Gold Nugget Awards in the Outstanding Rehab Commercial / Industrial Project and Sustainable Commercial Project categories for the Beardmore Block development (Priest River, ID), as well the Outstanding Low Rise Apartment Project category for Eastlake 2851 (Seattle, WA).
About Vulcan Real Estate
Vulcan Real Estate directs all real estate activities for Vulcan Inc., a Paul G. Allen company. The company’s experienced, talented team of real estate professionals offers a full range of development services from site selection to build-to-suit construction. Its real estate model is based on quality, sustainable development that builds new value across the entire community. To date, Vulcan has delivered over 2.3 million square feet in 13 new office, biotech, residential and mixed-use projects in South Lake Union. The company has nearly 1.8 million square feet currently under construction. For more information, visit www.vulcanrealestate.com.
About Runberg Architecture Group
Established in 1998, Runberg Architecture Group PLLC is a full service architecture firm specializing in mixed-use, multi-family, low-rise, adaptive re-use, senior housing and affordable housing developments. The firm has gained recognition for its sensitive urban infill projects, community-strengthening solutions to housing, and incorporation of sustainable building practices. To date, Runberg Architecture Group has designed over 7,500 housing units throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California. For more information, visit www.runberg.com.