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700 Palms Residence by Ehrlich Architects; photography by Julius Shulman & Juergen Nogai

For the ninth year in a row, the American Institute of Architects recognized the importance of good housing as a necessity of life as it named the 17 winners of its annual Housing Awards Program.

The jury, including chair Kenneth Workman of RWA Architects, Rainy Hamilton of Hamilton Anderson Associates, and Jeff Oberdorfer of First Community Housing, was tasked with choosing the best in American housing design. The group named projects in four categories: One/Two Family Custom Housing, Multi-family Housing, One/Two Family Production Housing, and Special Housing.

Seattle-based firm Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects was the program's big winner, bagging two awards in the One/Two Family Custom Housing category, including one for their Montecito Residence in California's fire-prone Toro Canyon. The architects devised a raised roof that acts as an umbrella to shield the house from the area's relentless sun, while also creating a long central hallway that allows cool off-shore breezes to naturally move through the space.

Hacin + Associates was one of three firms to earn honors in the Multi-family Housing category. The Boston firm was recognized for combining two historic structures, a new building, and a three-story rooftop addition above all three structures into the 140,000-square-foot Fort Point Loft Condominiums in their hometown.

Only one firm was recognized in the One/Two Family Production Housing category for homes built for the speculative market: Ross Chapin Architects for their Conover Commons residential development in Redmond, Washington. The project met the 4-Star rating of the Master Builders Association's Builtgreen program for its high-efficiency appliances, low-toxicity materials, and jobsite recycling.

The Special Housing category was created to recognize housing that meets unique needs, including single room occupancy residences, independent living for the disabled, residential rehabilitation programs, and domestic-violence shelters. Overland Partners Architects was one of three winners in the category for turning an abandoned Dallas warehouse into the Bridge, a temporary shelter that provides transitional housing on its upper floors.

One/Two Family Custom Housing

Chuckanut Drive Residence
Location: Bellingham, Washington
Architect: The Miller | Hull Partnership

Photography by Benjamin Benschneider.

House on Hoopers Island
Location: Church Creek, Maryland
Architect: David Jameson Architect

Photography by Paul Warchol.

Laidley Street Residence
Location: San Francisco, California
Architect: Zack / de Vito Architecture

Photography by Bruce Damonte.

Cinco Camp
Location: Brewster County, Texas
Architect: Rhotenberry Wellen Architects

Photography by Hester + Hardaway.

Montecito Residence
Location: Montecito, California
Architect: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects

Photography by Nikolas Koenig.

Outpost
Location: Bellevue, Idaho
Architect: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects

Photography by Tim Bies.

Glade House
Location: Lake Forest, Illinois
Architect: Frederick Phillips and Associates

Photography by Karant + Associates, Inc.

Low Country Residence
Location: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Architect: Frank Harmon Architect

Photography by Richard Leo Johnson.

700 Palms Residence
Location: Venice, California
Architect: Ehrlich Architects

Photography by Julius Shulman & Juergen Nogai.

House at Sagaponac
Location: Wainscott, New York
Architect: Tsao & McKown Architects

Photography by Michael Moran.

Multifamily Housing

Fort Point Loft Condominiums
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Architect: Hacin + Associates, Inc.

Photography by Bruce T. Martin.

Courtyard Lofts
Location: Long Beach, California
Architect: Studio One Eleven at Perkowitz + Ruth Architects

Photography by Alan Pullman.

ICON
Location: San Diego, California
Architect: Tannerhecht Architecture

Photography by Toby Ponnay.

One/Two Family Production Housing

Conover Commons
Location: Redmond, Washington
Architect: Ross Chapin Architects

Photography by Ross Chapin.

Special Housing

Madison @ 14th Apartments
Location: Oakland, California
Architect: Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects

Photography by Tim Griffith.

The Bridge
Location: Dallas, Texas
Architect: Overland Partners Architects

Photography by Charles David Smith.

Saint John’s Abbey and Monastery Guesthouse
Location: Collegeville, Minnesota
Architect: VJAA

Photography by Paul Crosby.