Work to Start on Housing Complex on Richmond Waterfront | East Bay Times

Grading work is proceeding on a Point Richmond waterfront development that touts itself as the impossible dream made real: peace, tranquility and luxury with a panoramic view of the Bay. Waterline, with 60 flats and townhomes, is supposed to begin construction in the summer after almost five years in the approvals pipeline, according to a press release from developer Shea Homes.

Working with the (Pleasanton-based) Dahlin Group Architects, we were able to maximize the views by following the natural contours of the shoreline, Layne Marceau, Sheas Northern California President, said in a release. [Read More]

First look at the Bay Areas new $43 million water park 'The Wave | The Mercury News

The $43 million aquatic park, the Wave, built during one of the states worst droughts, is ready to be unveiled to the public.

City officials held a ribbon-cutting Friday evening for the 31,000-square-foot facility, offering the first peek at the much-anticipated facility at Emerald Glen Park that can accommodate 1,400 people. The public grand opening is May 27. [Read More]

Dublin Unveils 'Wow Factor' of Mega Water Park | East Bay Times

Dublin's new "The Wave" aquatic center will feature amusement park-style slides including the "AquaDrop" that sends bathing-suit clad participants through a trap door and dropped into a wet vertical slide.

"This isn't your typical community public pool," said architect Gregor Markel, who designed the city-funded $36 million project."Its a facility that you can come back to over and over again, and experience something different each time, he said. Theres definitely a wow factor to it." [Read More]

Collaboration was Key in the Sleeper Success of Miraval | Builder & Developer Magazine

Those that counted out the little guy lost big at The Nationals this year when Miraval, the little project that could, took top nods.

This past January, a small, 10-lot infill development in Southern California took Gold at The Nationals in Orlando. Beating out some big names and perennial winners (does Pardee and Brookfield ring any bells?), the awards MC dubbed the project "the little mouse that roared." [Read More]

Designing With Cultural Awareness | Professional Builder

Builders are introducing new floor plans that respond to the needs of an increasingly diverse population.

Dahlin Group Architecture Planning has been practicing in mainland China for almost 17 years, and routinely adheres to feng shui principles in all of its designs. "In every location on the West Coast that has had an influx of Asian buyers, the awareness of feng shui is high enough so that every house has to respect it, or you have to have a darn good reason not to," says Don Ruthroff, principal and director of neighborhood residential in DAHLIN's Pleasanton, Calif., office. [Read More]

Grand Boulevard Initiative Task Force Selects Award Winners | SamTrans News

Six Peninsula cities recently received top honors for development projects and plans in the El Camino Real corridor that exemplifies the Grand Boulevard Initiative (GBI) Guiding Principles. The Grand Boulevard Initiative is a coalition of private and public entities aimed at improving El Camino Real, and policy makers from the public and private sectors make up the GBI Task Force. [Read more]

Townhouses, commercial center pitched for Caltrans properties in Hayward | East Bay Times

This design rendering by Pleasanton-based Dahlin Group Architecture Planning shows what the planned SoHay townhouses and nearby commercial center may eventually look like. Newport Beach-based developer William Lyon Homes is seeking to build residential condominiums and a commercial center off Mission Boulevard on former CalTrans properties along Route 238. The entire project includes 351 townhouses and a commercial center featuring 21,900 square feet of retail space. [Read more]

Stanford Aims to Revitalize Downtown Menlo Park with Middle Plaza Development | The Registry

The land parcels between 300 and 550 El Camino Real in Menlo Park have been a part of Stanford University's history since 1885. Beginning in the 1960s the lots were developed for auto dealerships and though they've sat vacant for nearly a decade, the property leases didn't expire until 2013. With the City's adoption of the El Camino Real-Downtown Specific Plan in 2012, the University has sought redevelopment of the land in a way that aligns with the overall vision for the area. [Read more]

Napa planners endorse 282 apartments near Napa River, with more to come | Napa Valley Register

After more than a decade of planning, one of Napa's largest-ever housing developments is one step from becoming reality.

The Vista Tulocay Apartments breezed through a Thursday vote by the city Planning Commission, which endorsed a complex that would start with 282 housing units and eventually may include nearly 500. Approval by the City Council would clear the way for the first of two construction phases for the project, which the Gasser Foundation first proposed in 2004 for a rare nugget of open land in a largely built-out community: 20 acres west of Soscol Avenue and east of the Napa River. [Read more]

Updated Mid-Century in Orange County | Rue Daily

How does this home's design embrace Mid-Century style?
Ryan: Because most Mid-Century Modern homes are single story, we created a Transitional version of this style. As small community of 10 homes, we designed the homes to be set back off the street with a two-car, turn-in garage, along with a single-car bay set further back from the street. This helped to create a more inviting curb appeal as you enter into the community with large front yards that are landscaped with plenty of drought tolerant plants. We kept the forms of the home simple, using quality exterior materials and finishes along with a variety of color accents, to give each home some distinctive character. [Read more]

Sares Regis Breaks Ground at Luxury Belmont Community | BISNOW

Work has formally started at San Mateo-based Sares Regis Group of Northern California's new luxury multifamily community in Belmont. The 1.83-acre, four-story Davey Glen community will consist of 73 units and nearly 5k SF in retail space. The developer is Regis Homes Bay Area, an affiliate of Sares Regis Group of Northern California. [Read more]

The New Home Company Wins Top Honor with Residential Housing Community of the Year at 2016 Gold Nugget Awards at PCBC in San Francisco | The Cannery

The New Home Company was honored last night with a Grand Award for "Residential Community of the Year-Master Plan" for The Cannery in Davis, Calif., at the 2016 Gold Nugget Awards presented during PCBC, the building industry's leading conference, trade show and meeting place. Now in its 53rd year, the Gold Nugget Awards recognize the best in architectural design and planning excellence, drawing entries from throughout the United States and around the world.

Construction begins on downtown Kenmore apartments | Daily Journal of Commerce

MainStreet Property Group has broken ground on its second apartment complex in downtown Kenmore. The project, called Linq at Spencer Square, will have 94 apartments and a 20,000-square-foot clinic for EvergreenHealth at 68th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 181st Street, according to a press release from MainStreet. The five-story complex is expected to open in the first quarter of 2017. [Read more]

First look: Cupertino project would replace Marina Food with homes, hotel | Silicon Valley Business Journal

After 30 years in business, the owners of Cupertino's Marina Food grocery store are laying the groundwork to redevelop the site into a mixed-use village of homes, shops and a hotel.

But don't worry: You'll still be able to pick up Marina's hard-to-find Asian specialty foods, after store executives find a replacement site in the region. [Read more]

Ag, industry expansions brewing in southwest Turlock | The Modesto Bee

The giant metal skeleton rising next to an orchard on Fulkerth Road should be brewing local beer by March. Behind the $12.5 million Dust Bowl Brewing Co. plant and tasting center, a tall crane points to progress on the Hilmar Cheese Co. construction project, planned since 2009, on a new strip of West Canal Drive.

100,000 Barrels per year the plant could produce at full buildout. [Read more]

Seattle Children's Home Redevelopment | Professional Builder

Located within two miles of the Space Needle and downtown Seattle, this project consists of upslope, downslope, and cross-slope townhomes, designed in both traditional and contemporary styles that afford premium views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. The city is encouraging density in communities close to downtown, and the charm of this redevelopment is the eclectic neighborhood with its cobblestone streets and close proximity to dining and shopping. [Read more]

Project Profile: Monteverde Senior Apartments | ARCH News

Monteverde Senior Apartments is nestled on a hillside in an idyllic setting in Orinda, California. Situated on a quintessential infill site conveniently located in the downtown area, this ideal location for a transit-oriented development links seniors to BART and downtown services, the adjacent community church, park, and library. Design of this new 67-unit affordable apartment community connects the City's carefully executed past to its future design direction, downtown revitalization, and provides much-needed affordable, age-qualified housing. Its contemporary design melds with the existing structures, while working well with the multi-tiered site. [Read more]

Breaking Ground on Affordable Housing in North County | San Diego County News Center

An effort to bring more than 40 affordable housing units to San Marcos hit a milestone with a groundbreaking Thursday for Eastgate Apartments. The three-story building on the corner of Grand Avenue and Creekside Place is being developed by Affirmed Housing Group with funding assistance from the County, the City of San Marcos and other financing.

The apartment complex consists of 42 units: six studios, five one-bedroom units, 18 two-bedroom units and 13 three-bedroom units. Except for a manager's unit, all will be set aside for low-income tenants and their families. The site will also include more than 7,000 square feet of commercial space and a community room for residents. The property will be built to LEED Silver standards with rooftop solar and other energy efficient features. [Read more]

Classics at San Mateo Residential Development Clears Major Hurdle | The Registry

In a scene that is not reminiscent of many planning and City Council meetings these days, the Classics residential project in San Mateo received an ovation from practically everyone in the council chambers when the Planning Commission approved its formal site plan and architectural review this week.

The proposed urban village development, which sits on 106-120 Tilton Avenue in downtown San Mateo on a lot approximately 33,000 square feet, will feature 27 two- and three-bedroom for-sale units (15 detached and 12 townhome style condominiums) and include 58 underground parking spaces. [Read more]

Chinese Home Builders Bet on U.S. Rebound | The Wall Street Journal

Small Chinese builders are following their larger brethren into the U.S., betting that the recovering American housing sector will help them expand as China struggles with its cooling market.

Landsea Green Properties Co., a Chinese home builder listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, has started residential projects spanning hundreds of planned homes in San Francisco, New Jersey and in Ventura County, California, near Los Angeles. [Read more]

Asian Americans More Likely to Have Multigenerational Households | NBC News

Jenee Odani had always expected to take care of her parents, just as they had cared for theirs.

In 2011, her mother and father moved into her family home on Oahu, after adding a studio apartment with a partial kitchen and some privacy upstairs. They also remodeled bathrooms on the ground floor to be senior-friendly, with higher toilets and low showers. Someday, when the stairs become too difficult for her parents to navigate, they'll move downstairs and Odani and her husband, Norman, will move into the studio. [Read more]

Q&A with Nancy Keenan, President of Dahlin Group Architecture Planning | California Buildings News

Q: You are one of the few women leaders of a major architectural firm. Do you think that your gender will in some way add value to Dahlin Group's designs and execution?

A: Women's roles in design and leadership have been evolving. Recently, Julia Morgan was posthumously awarded the AIA Gold Medal, recognition that is long overdue. [Read more]

30 Years of BALA Design Trends | Best in American Living

What's Changed, What's Stayed? A look back at BALA winners across three decades provides insight into how American communities--and American values-- have changed over time.

Porches are one consistent feature of homes that have stood the test of time. Dahlin Group's 2004 BALA Platinum winner, Baywood Residence 3 in Hercules, California, is recognized for its deep double-decker porch that offers plenty of shaded space for relaxation. [Read more]

Elevation at Alma Plaza, Palo Alto, California | Builder

2013 Builder's Choice and Custom Home Design Awards
Award of Merit for Production, Semi-Custom, or Spec, Less Than 3,000 Square Feet

A stunning design can come out of an intense, prolonged public approval process with patience and perseverance. Just ask architect Donald J. Ruthroff; he spent a year working to get the Palo Alto, Calif., architectural review board, made up of seven architects, to approve home designs for a 4-acre infill parcel. [Read more]

The White House Comes to Tampa! | MailOnline.com

Often when people retire they downsize, but not Tampa-based multimillionaire Tom Simpson, 68, and his wife, June, 65, who saw it as an opportunity to build the dream home they had always wanted.

The couple, have spent the past four years creating Mision Lago, which sits on 11 acres overlooking Lake Thonotosassa near Tampa, Florida. The 24,900-square-foot Spanish-colonial-style house that has been furnished in a style that can best be described as over-the-top. [Read more]

Thonotosassa Estate One of County's Largest | The Tampa Tribune

Overlooking Lake Thonotosassa in eastern Hillsborough County, a new 24,900-square-foot Spanish-colonial-style house is now the third largest home in Hillsborough County.

The estate, known as Mision Lago, sits on 11 acres on the west side of the county's largest lake and caters to its owners' affinity for over-the-top opulence.

The six-bedroom, 12-bathroom resort-style home is full of replicas. There's the theater fashioned after Tampa Theatre, a sports lounge with flooring that looks like the infield at Tropicana Field and a 900-square-foot Oval Office, complete with a duplicate of President John F. Kennedy's desk with a hideaway door. [Read more]

Five Design Pros, Five Locations, Five Questions, Dozens of Trends | 50+ Housing Magazine

This year's buyer doesn't want to purchase last year's home. It's a new home, and it should look and feel brand-new and exciting. So, now that prospective buyers are once again looking at models and buying new active adult homes, it's time to check in with five members of the 50+ Housing Council who are design professionals in five different parts of the country, and ask them five questions about trends. [Read more]

Clubhouse of the Year | Golf Inc.

3rd Place: Lingshui Blue Bay Golf Course

Talk about a great canvas to work with. This clubhouse was built to accentuate the 18-hole Lingshui Blue Bay Golf Course, which is along the southeast coast of Hainan, an island in the South China Sea. Yeah, it's kind of pretty.

The unique-looking clubhouse form reflects a Hainan and greater southeast Asia architectural heritage, but with a contemporary interpretation, according to the entry. [Read more]

Wealthy Homebuyers in China Embrace the McMansion | Chicago Tribune

An American export has turned out to be a surprising hit in China: the McMansion.

Though "McMansion" may not be the kindest term for this Chinese architectural phenomenon, that's the case: Wealthy locals in Beijing and other cities have become smitten with Western-style houses that are huge (even by U.S. standards) and in planned subdivisions. And they're farming out the design work to American architects.