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The 17th annual Awards for Housing Excellence gala brought out a sold-out crowd of 542 to The Westin Bayshore recognizing excellence in homebuilding across Metro Vancouver. On April 18, The Homebuilders Association Vancouver (HAVAN) honoured the exceptional work of the industry’s builders, renovators, designers, and leaders across 67 categories. Throughout the evening, honourees were applauded for their creativity, craftsmanship and forward-thinking projects that helped to redefine housing and design in 2025.

“The range of winners across the categories this year speaks to the strength of our industry and how competitive our market has become, making a HAVAN Award a significant achievement,” says HAVAN CEO Wendy McNeil. “Each year, the program is reviewed to reflect the changing housing landscape, with categories that respond to how homes are being delivered today and the need to address housing challenges, including small-scale, multi-unit housing, multiplex, and modular solutions that support much-needed “missing middle” housing. These awards help homeowners identify professionals who consistently deliver industry-leading results.”

We reached out to six standout winners:

Vancouver-based Laura Grist Interior Design Inc. took home the Grand HAVAN for Interior Designer of the Year and Best Bathroom Renovation under 50 sq.ft for Hidden in Plain Sight, a condo’s reimagined powder room transformed into an elegant space.

“Getting the recognition that we’re ‘as good as we think we are’ is always nice when that’s confirmed,” says Grist. “This win is the culmination of 18 years of design, clients trusting us with their homes (and offices, and second homes… and then sending their friends), long-standing relationships with contractors and trades, and a team that’s been designing side-by-side for the past eight years.”

Vancouver’s HIT Quality Construction’s James Murphy, founder and chief builder, was honoured to take home three awards, including the coveted Grand HAVAN Residential Renovator of the Year.

“Receiving the Renovator of the Year is both an honour and a meaningful milestone for our team and us. Being recognized by our peers makes this especially significant, as it reflects our commitment to excellence, our passion for thoughtful design and craftsmanship, and the strong relationships we build along the way.”

North Shore’s Hasler Homes won three awards, including Best Custom Home: $5 million – Under $10 million, Best New Custom Kitchen: Under $175,000, Best Energy Labelled Home: Custom and Grand HAVAN Custom Home Builder of the Year.

“Winning the Grand HAVAN Custom Home Builder of the Year award is a meaningful milestone for both me and our entire team at Hasler Homes. It represents far more than a single achievement, it reflects years of dedication, craftsmanship, and a shared commitment to excellence,” says Greg Hasler, president. “Most importantly, it motivates us to keep raising the bar. This recognition isn’t a finish line; it’s a reminder to continue innovating, improving, and delivering homes that exceed expectations.”

Vancouver-based Foxridge Homes Ltd., a Qualico Company, took home three awards, including two Grand HAVAN Awards: Best Residential Community: Single-Family, and Grand HAVAN Single-Family Home Builder of the Year.

“These awards mean a great deal and truly belong to everyone on the Foxridge team. This recognition reflects the passion, commitment, and pride behind everything we do,” says Eric Andreasen, vice-president Foxridge Homes.

Surrey’s Zenterra Developments was awarded Best Townhome/Rowhome Unit: Less than 1,500 sq.ft., Best Multi-Family Condominium Unit – The Commons, Best Marketing Campaign and Grand HAVAN Multi-Family Home Builder of the Year.

“Winning the Grand HAVAN Award for Multi-Family Home Builder of the Year is a reflection of the people behind every Zenterra home,” says Derek Fenton, vice-president of marketing and sales. “Our team brings serious purpose to everything they build, and to be recognized by our industry peers for that work is something we don’t take lightly.”

Vancouver’s Renewal Development with Wesgroup Properties won Best Environmental Initiative.

“The construction industry has a significant environmental impact, be it in terms of carbon emissions or material waste. Our partnerships with the shíshálh Nation, Squamish Nation, Wesgroup, Bosa Properties, Anthem Properties and many others demonstrate that development can be done differently,” says Glyn Lewis, founder and CEO, Renewal Development. “Ultimately, the power of our home relocation — repurposing projects is the power of our example. To demonstrate what’s possible when partners come together to reimagine development.”

 

Vancouver-based NorthStar Development took home a new category in 2026: Best Modular/Prefab Housing Solutions award.

“This recognition is meaningful for our team at NorthStar Development because Estrella proves we can deliver urgently needed homes for local workers in a way that is both practical and scalable, with 80 per cent of homes offered at below-market rates,” says Gordon Wylie, President. “By using modular construction to achieve cost and schedule certainty, we were able to bring the first new apartment building to Prince Rupert in 30 years and support the workforce that is essential to the city’s continued growth.”

A full list of winners and photos of the projects are available at havan.ca

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• Wordsworth by Polygon Homes puts community fit over flash

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Wesbrook Village is no stranger to Polygon. At Wordsworth , the developer’s sixth completed residential project in the neighbourhood, Polygon Homes and Francl Architecture are taking a more nuanced approach, one that aims to fold into the area rather than make a splashy condo statement. Completed in January, the 231-home project borders Mundell Park at the University of British Columbia’s Point Grey campus.

With fewer than 30 homes remaining, buyers can choose from move-in-ready condos, penthouses and cityhomes. Studios to two-bedroom apartments range from 470 to 896 square feet, with penthouses up to 1,144 square feet. Three-storey, three-bedroom cityhomes range from 1,565 to 1,625 square feet with sundecks, green sedum roofs and ground-floor patios, while penthouses include private garages with attached storage rooms. This new collection of concrete homes is designed to appeal to a wide range of residents, from students and faculty to young families and downsizers drawn to an active lifestyle.

For principal Walter Francl, that sense of fit begins at street level, where the cityhomes visually break down the scale of the project and help it sit more comfortably along the street. “The townhouses are a welcome rhythm as one walks down the streetscape at a very appropriate scale. They modulate the streetscape as you walk down it,” says Francl.

The cityhome facades feature canopied raised entries, eight-foot doors, charcoal grey brick and medium grey metal finishes. While earlier Polygon projects closer to Pacific Spirit Park drew on a more autumn-inspired palette, Francl says Wordsworth’s setting called for something more refined and polished in character: “This is a little bit more removed from Pacific Spirit Park. It’s back a block and has a more urbane feeling to it.” The darker brick, he adds, has an almost “metallic, iridescent quality” that plays off natural rock features found in the neighbourhood, while also feeling cohesive with nearby buildings.

That focus on community fit also shaped the design of the 16-storey tower, positioned at the north end of the site to minimize shadowing on park space and neighbouring buildings to the south. But with a 10,000-square-foot floorplate, the structure risked feeling broad and bulky. To soften its presence, the Francl team curved the north and south faces to give a more slender appearance, with balconies arranged “in a rhythm” to add further movement to the exterior. “They don’t repeat all the way up,” adds Francl. “They have a language that modulates the facade, and the curves add a certain amount of grace to the building itself.”

Inside the building, the shared spaces follow a similar approach. Rather than carving out an oversized amenity package, the team focused on a smaller set of practical features, including a fitness studio, concierge, electronic parcel system, dog wash and bike repair area, while also drawing on the broader neighbourhood amenities around Wordsworth. Polygon and Francl point to the project’s proximity to playgrounds, restaurants, shops, schools and the nearby Wesbrook Community Centre, which includes wellness programs, fitness facilities and space for meetings and events.

The cityhome patios open onto a semi-private courtyard and a pedestrian greenway, extending the main living space outdoors and providing direct access to parks and walking trails. Francl notes that the north-south orientation helps bring sunlight into the courtyard and patios. “It’ll be a really pleasant place to share with your neighbours,” he says.

All cityhome patios and penthouse balconies are fitted with barbecue gas outlets and hose bibs for flexible hosting, while the landscape design by Hapa Collaborative was carefully balanced to provide privacy without closing off views entirely. “The shared open spaces are really something that enhances a sense of community,” says Francl. “It’s where you meet your neighbours in the coming and going day-to-day” — an idea that also extends to the tower’s double-height lobby.

Designed to give a “sense of arrival,” the lobby leans into a calm West Coast-inspired palette. Developed in collaboration with Polygon’s interior design team, the space features limestone-toned porcelain flooring, sculptural Petite Friture Vertigo pendants and a curved marble feature wall that echoes the tower’s rounded form. The walls are clad in light wood panelling with vertical slot detailing that helps define lounge seating.

Francl explains that the lobby was designed for both residents and guests — somewhere to stop, talk and get a sense of the community they’re about to enter. “You get a real warm feeling as you come into the building and [realize] that’s the neighbourhood you’re living in,” he adds.

That same inviting, neutral palette carries into the suites, where interior finishes include engineered wood flooring, natural stone tile walls in ensuites, engineered stone countertops and backsplashes and natural wood or matte white cabinetry with integrated Bertazzoni appliances.

With Wordsworth marking the fourth project completed with Polygon in Wesbrook Village, Francl reflects on the evolving neighbourhood he’s helped shape: “There’s much more yet to come, and I look forward to being part of it and helping this grow into the community that it is becoming.”

Project: Wordsworth

Project address: 6138 Birney Ave., Vancouver, B.C.

Developer: Polygon Wordsworth Homes Ltd.

Architect: Francl Architecture

Interior designer: Polygon Interior Design Ltd.

Project size: 231 apartment homes and cityhomes

Price: One-bedroom homes from $688,800

Number of bedrooms: Studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments; three-bedroom cityhomes

Sales centre: 6138 Birney Ave., Vancouver, B.C.

Centre hours: Noon to 5 p.m. daily except Fridays

Phone: 604-882-0098

Website: polyhomes.com

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