WASHINGTON, D.C. –- (RealEstateRama) — The Best in American Living™ Awards (BALA) program made its fifth induction of individuals and companies into the BALA Hall of Fame during the annual NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla. The Hall of Fame awards recognize some of the most innovative and well-respected people and companies in the building industry who have significantly affected residential design and construction.
The 2016 BALA Hall of Fame class includes:
Dahlin Group Architecture Planning
Dahlin Group Architecture Planning’s international team of architects and planners generate definitive environmental solutions that unite community, site and structure. Dahlin tackles the challenges of urban development, large communities, small neighborhoods and individual building sites with a passion for the spaces and lives within.
Andrés Duany
Andrés Duany has dedicated more than three decades to pioneering a vision for sustainable urban development. Duany’s legacy includes the plan and code for the first “new traditional neighborhood;” the Traditional Neighborhood Development zoning ordinance; development of the SmartCode, a form-based zoning code to encourage compact, mixed-use, walkable communities; the definition of the rural to urban Transect and Agrarian Urbanism; as well as inventive affordable housing designs.
Arthur Rutenberg
Arthur Rutenberg has been building homes in Florida for more than 60 years. He is credited with introducing the split-bedroom floor plan, positioning the kitchen in the heart of the home, focusing on great views of the lanai and pool throughout the home, widening hallways and doors, and more. He is on the leading edge of today’s high-tech revolution, with an in-house team developing proprietary software to streamline and simplify the process of buying and building a home.
Sanford Steinberg
Sanford Steinberg’s commitment to the BALA program and to NAHB is immense. His firm, Steinberg Dickey Collaborative LLP, architects and planners, has gained broad influence and prominence with more than 150 development companies. The firm was recently named one of NAHB’s Multifamily Industry Pioneers for being the first to certify a large-scale luxury multifamily community to the ICC-700 National Green Building Standard.
Marc Thee
Marc Thee is the principal and co-founder of Marc-Michaels Interior Design, ranked by Interior Design magazine as the No. 1 residential design firm in the nation. Thee has been named among the top 100 designers in the world by Architectural Digest and most recently was named one of 12 trendsetters in the world by American Express.
Robert I. Toll
Robert I. Toll is executive chairman of Toll Brothers Inc., a leading builder of luxury homes. Founded in 1967, Toll Brothers develops residential communities in 20 states. Toll was named CEO of the year by Builder magazine in 2005. In FORTUNE magazine’s 2016 survey of the world’s most admired companies, Toll Brothers was named the No. 1 home builder worldwide.
Additional information about the BALA program is at bestinamericanliving.com.
CONTACTS
Stephanie Thomas
202-266-8125
