KTGY Group Architecture + Planning Earns National Recognition for Design Excellence & Innovation

KTGY's wide range of capabilities, excellence and innovation in addressing complex design/build issues in attached, sustainable communities, mixed-use, transit-oriented developments, and campus housing has been recognized in several recent awards programs. End Quote

Orange County, CA (1888PressRelease) September 12, 2011 - KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture + Planning is pleased to announce that KTGY's wide range of capabilities, excellence and innovation in addressing complex design/build issues in attached, sustainable communities, mixed-use, transit-oriented developments, and campus housing has been recognized in several recent awards programs.

University of California, Irvine (UCI), East Campus Apartments Phase III has been selected as a finalist for Project of the Year in the Student category by Multifamily Executive. Phase III of UCI's East Campus Student Housing project added 1,763 beds to UCI's on-campus housing, which allows the university to house nearly 50 percent of its students on campus. Phase III encompasses three separate sites: Puerta del Sol, a 565-bed graduate community; Camino del Sol, an 1,198-bed undergraduate complex, which brought the first townhome-style living to the campus, and a community resort-style clubhouse, "The Lodge;" plus a 7-level parking structure. Both student housing complexes and "The Lodge" earned a LEED Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council and a Gold Nugget Grand Award in the category of Community Site Plan up to 20 Acres. The project, designed by KTGY, recently won a Gold Nugget Merit Award for Campus Housing Project, and was a finalist in National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Awards for Best Student Housing Rental Apartment Community. Camino del Sol and The Lodge earned the 2011 Student Housing Business Innovator Award for On-Campus Best Architecture/Design. The developer is American Campus Communities, Inc.

"Today's students expect environmental responsibility from their campus as well as great amenities," said Daniel R. McAllister, NCARB, Principal, Director of Architecture at KTGY. "UCI's new student housing communities certainly set the bar very high for both amenities as well as green living."

Paragon at Old Town in Monrovia, Calif. earned a Gold Nugget Grand Award in the category of Infill, Re-development or Rehab Site Plan - up to 5 Acres. Developed by Urban Housing Group, LLC and designed by KTGY, the community also received a Gold Nugget Merit Award in the category of Multifamily Housing Project - 4 to 6 stories. Paragon at Old Town is a 4-story mixed-use, urban amenity-rich residential community that consists of 163 luxurious one-and two-bedroom apartment homes built over 6,000 square feet of commercial space situated on the ground floor.

"Paragon at Old Town is a perfect example of the type of projects that cities and experienced developers are focused on in this current economic climate: core, urban locations that offer close proximity to jobs, amenities, transportation and established infrastructure where people can live, work, play and shop," McAllister said.

The Crossing at Anaheim in Anaheim, Calif., is also a Multifamily Executive Award finalist earning recognition as the Project of the Year in the Low Rise (1 - 4 Stories) category. Designed by KTGY, The Crossing also earned a Gold Nugget Merit Award in the Green/Sustainable Community category. Located by the Anaheim Metrolink and Amtrak train stop and close to shopping, dining and entertainment venues, The Crossing at Anaheim is a conversion of industrial land to 312-unit luxury rental apartments and live/work style townhomes. To mitigate the noise of the trains passing by, great care was taken to orient units to private courtyards within the buildings. These courtyard spaces serve as the social heart of the project, joining with the spacious club room, fitness center/spa, and leasing areas to create an exciting, hip, and sophisticated environment. Featuring contemporary urban architecture, resort-style amenities, and an eco-friendly design and construction, The Crossing is LEED Gold certified and is a smoke-free residential community. SARES•REGIS Group is the developer and owner.

"In a region dominated by the automobile and consumption of our natural resources, this environmentally-friendly development is a positive alternative that responds to a new demographic that is energy conscious but still demands resort-style living and rich amenities, near mass transit, employment, shopping and entertainment," said David Senden, a principal with KTGY and lead designer on the project.

Cañada Vista in Redwood City, Calif., placed as a finalist in NAHB Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Awards program in two categories: Best Affordable Apartment Community and Best Workforce Housing. Developed by Mill Valley, Calif.-based Education Housing Partners, a non-profit affiliate of Thompson | Dorfman Partners, LLC, and designed by KTGY, Cañada Vista is a faculty and staff housing community exclusively for the employees of the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD). Designed to LEED Silver guidelines on the site of a former campus parking lot, Cañada Vista is a high quality, eco-friendly 60-unit Craftsman-inspired apartment community featuring one, two and three bedroom apartments at approximately 50% of local rents. All units are affordable to low income households. Cañada Vista serves as an effective recruiting and retention tool for the SMCCCD.

"Cañada Vista is a prime example of a self-sustaining community -- environmentally, socially and also economically," said Bruce Dorfman, a principal at Thompson | Dorfman of Mill Valley, Calif. "Because of the financing structure and the fact that SMCCCD already owned the land, no district general funds were used for the improvements or operations, as the rents cover operating costs, reserves and debt service. Even with a softening residential market, home prices and rental rates are still well beyond what most starting teachers can afford in metropolitan areas in California, so this type of workforce housing is as vital as ever."

The Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIA/SC) Sales and Marketing Council of Southern California recognized Primera Terra in Playa Vista, Calif., as a finalist in two categories: Best Outdoor Living Space and Green Community of the Year. Designed by KTGY and built by KB Home, Primera Terra is the model of sustainability, attaining Platinum LEED certification for 52-single level condos in 3-story urban building at the masterplan community of Playa Vista. Primera Terra's name, marketing and model displays tout large benefits and savings from eco-features. Residents can monitor energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and electricity costs through their computer, iPad or iPhone using a device connected to each unit's electrical panel. The Green "Living Wall" at the community's entrance, a community vegetable and fruit garden out back and the overall look of the building, models and courtyard enhance the eco-look and appeal.

Primera Terra's neighborhood design organizes homes around a central courtyard that provides intimate "outdoor rooms" for residents to relax and reflect. The courtyard features a linear fountain with stainless steel scupper, an outdoor dining room with barbeques, a conversation terrace with an outdoor fireplace as well as access to a common bicycle storage room. The three-story building relates well with the surrounding neighborhood, providing private patios to activate public streets and articulated facades to create a strong urban edge.

"Primera Terra is among the largest residential communities in California to be awarded Platinum LEED certification (without including solar panels in the design). This top rating helps drive luxury condos sales and sets a higher standard for environmentally-conscious living," said Alan Scales, KTGY Studio Director and Primera Terra's project designer.

Winners for the Multifamily Executive Project of the Year will be announced on October 4, 2011, at a luncheon at the Multifamily Executive Conference held at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Winners for the best in Sales, Marketing and Design throughout Southern California will be announced at the SoCal Awards ceremony and dinner on Saturday, September 24, 2011, at the Grove of Anaheim.

About KTGY Group, Inc.
Established in 1991, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture + Planning, provides comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, marketing and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, Calif., Denver, Colo., and Tysons Corner, Va.

See www.ktgy.com.

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