The 2024 Residential Architect Design Awards (RADA), featuring jurors Rene Gonzalez, principal and founder of Rene Gonzalez Architects in Miami; Ashley Heeren, principal at Low Design Office in Austin, Texas; and Roselie Enriquez Ledda, principal at Paulett Taggart Architects in San Francisco, evaluated a robust field of more than 200 submissions to identify the forefront of housing innovation. With meticulous attention to scale, purpose, and sustainability, the panel recognized 20 exceptional projects. This elite group comprises 10 honor award winners, five merit award winners, and five recipients of citations, exemplifying the pinnacle of residential architecture's ability to enhance lives, communities, and the environment.
This year, RADA also included a special category recognizing exceptional design in fireplaces, sponsored by Heat & Glo. Jurors Matthew Bremer, founder and principal, Architecture in Formation and 2023 president, AIA New York; Paul Makovsky, editor-in-chief of ARCHITECT magazine; and Michael Swanson, marketing manager of the Architect & Designer Segment, Hearth & Home Technologies, chose three projects as honor award winners and three as merits.
Main Jury
Rene Gonzalez, principal and founder, Rene Gonzalez Architects, Miami
Ashley Heeren, principal, Low Design Office, Austin, Texas
Rosalie Enriquez Ledda, principal, Paula Taggart Architects, San Francisco
Jury for the Special "Fireplace" Category
Matthew Bremer, principal and founder, Architecture in Formation, and 2023 president, AIA New York, New York
Michael Swanson, marketing manager, Architect & Designer segment, Hearth & Home Technologies, Lakeville, MN
Paul Makovsky, editor in chief, ARCHITECT, New York
Honor Award Winners
To see more photos and drawings, click on the ARCHITECT Project Gallery links below each project category.
Custom Home / 3,000 Square Feet or Less
Mar Vista House No. 1
Los Angeles, CA
Hopson Rodstrom Design
“The material palette felt rich and soft, but simple enough at the same time. What I really liked on the front was the simple white stucco volume with this very rich but small and modest entry that draws you in.” —Ashley Heeren
Custom Home / More than 3,000 Square Feet
Arbour House
Victoria, BC
Patkau Architects
“This one really captured my imagination with its use of light and form. I felt like there were a few other projects that tried to do something with roof form where it felt like it was for the sake of form, and this felt really purposeful and intentional and well tied together in each one of these views.” —Ashley Heeren
Custom Home / More than 3,000 Square Feet
City Park Residence
Austin, TX
Alterstudio Architecture
“You immediately see that it's a house that has been thought through at every level of detail. It's a pretty minimal architectural interior, but it's thoughtful.” —Rene Gonzalez
Custom Home / More than 3,000 Square Feet
Barton Hills Residence
Austin, TX
Alterstudio Architecture
“I love how they could add whimsy, and yet it could still be elegant. And that image with a child climbing on that wall—that's a beautifully composed wall.” —Roselie Enriquez Ledda
Renovation / Adaptive Reuse
Casa Luce
Tucson, AZ
HK Associates
“I remember appreciating that this one told the story pretty clearly, including what kinds of insertions they made with the light.” —Ashley Heeren
Multifamily Housing
Pearl Block
Victoria, BC
D’Arcy Jones Architects
“This one definitely stood out for me. My starting point was the plan, because the plan looks so simple and yet it's so rigorous. And when you look at it in section and obviously in 3D, it’s so rich in what they were able to achieve, and with a restrained material palette, which is always a big win for me.” —Roselie Enriquez Ledda
Affordable Housing
Isla Intersections Supportive Housing & Paseo
Los Angeles, CA
Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects
“This project stood out because there was a sensibility in terms of materiality, composition, and volumetrics. But it also seemed like it was trying to do something else and that something else seemed to be about addressing environmental issues and creating beautiful places to be within this community. It just made me feel like I wanted to be there.” —Rene Gonzalez
Specialized Housing
Sunset Cabins at Lone Oaks Farm
Middleton, TN
el dorado architects
“There were a lot of projects that did similar things to this, but there were not a lot of projects that did it with the clarity that this does. And it's quite beautiful. It’s a very rich project with with a very controlled set of moves.” —Rene Gonzalez
Outbuilding
Willamette Pool House
Newberg, OR
FIELDWORK Design & Architecture
“This was one that I thought had beautiful detailing and craftsmanship for a small outbuilding project. It’s a pretty, exquisite jewel box.” —Ashley Heeren
New Approaches to Housing and Specialty Homes
Stealth House
Austin, TX
Specht Novak
“It's a very specific response to a very specific site, and it's very successful in addressing it right. The image of that courtyard space is quite beautiful.” —Rene Gonzalez
Merit Award Winners
To see more photos and drawings, click on the ARCHITECT Project Gallery link below the project category.
Custom, 3,000 Square Feet or Less
Leit House
Sonoma, CA
S^A | Schwartz and Architecture
“It's very restrained, especially from the approach in a way that's really intriguing.” —Ashley Heeren
Custom, 3,000 Square Feet or Less
Candlewood Cottage
Sherman, CT
GOA Architecture
“In all angles, it looks very nicely resolved.” —Roselie Enriquez Ledda
Renovation/Adaptive Reuse
A Mourning Dovecote
Sonoma, CA
S^A | Schwartz and Architecture
“The entire catalyst for the exterior form is about the birds that are naturally in that environment and wanting to support that. And so how you meld that with the actual interior space? They were able to achieve that, and it’s beautiful.” —Roselie Enriquez Ledda
Architectural Interiors
107 Loft
Vancouver, BC
D’Arcy Jones Architects
“I was intrigued because it was an interiors project—and a lot of the other interiors projects were very decorative in nature, and this was the complete opposite. The wood finish on the angular wall that supports the loft was just enough to make it interesting.” —Rene Gonzalez
Specialized Housing
Project Legacy
Riverside, CA
Hopson Rodstrom Design
“I love the fact that they are putting the community on the exterior of the project and on view, and allowing people to gather a in a very organic way.” —Rene Gonzalez
Citation Winners
To see more photos and drawings, click on the ARCHITECT Project Gallery link below the project category.
Custom Home / 3,000 Square Feet or Less
Spruce Ridge Cabin
Sylva, NC
Altura Architects
“I was intrigued because it's so integrated within the trees and obviously would have minimal disturbance.” —Ashley Heeren
Custom Home / More than 3,000 Square Feet
Hale Kiawe
Kailua-Kona, HI
Walker Warner
“The edges are really nicely scaled to transition into the landscape with trellis and filigree.” —Ashley Heeren
Renovation/Adaptive Reuse
OFFbeat
Austin, TX
Nick Deaver Jes Deaver Architecture
“The one space is really fabulous in the way that they sensitively articulated the extension around the tree.” —Ashley Heeren
Renovation/Adaptive Reuse
Dry Creek Cabin
White Salmon, WA
FIELDWORK Design & Architecture
“I really appreciated this one using the same footprint and creating something clear, simple, and fairly optimized. It came out really beautifully.” —Ashley Heeren
Outbuilding
Casita Obscura
Tucson, AZ
HK Associates
“I find myself thinking like this is a beautiful, sort of compelling small piece of architecture. It’s cleanly detailed and beautifully integrated with the landscape.” —Ashley Heeren
Spotlight Focus "Fireplace" Category Winners
To see more photos and drawings, click on the ARCHITECT Project Gallery link below the project category.
Winners
Honor Winner
Arbour House Fireplace
Victoria, BC
Patkau Architects
"It’s incredible architecture, and I love that they made the entire wall about fire.” —Matthew Bremer
Honor Winner
Atwood Fireplace
Saugus, MA
The Architectural Team
"It's great to see fireplaces being used in an elevated way in a multifamily project, where the fireplace is not only used to make the spaces more cozy and intimate but to also be used in a thoughtful spatial way." —Paul Makovsky
Honor Winner
Elk Range Overlook Fireplace
Aspen, CO
CCY Architects
"It’s a real focal element of the space, and the materiality is rich in detail.” —Paul Makovsky
Merit Winners
Architect's Choice
Country House in Rob Roy Fireplace
Grey Highlands, ON
Ian MacDonald Architect Inc
"It’s an extremely sensitive and thoughtful deployment of fireplaces for warmth and visual comfort.” —Matthew Bremer
Editor's Choice
Deer Harbor House Fireplace
Deer Harbor, WA
Syndicate Smith
"The materiality of this fireplace enhances the home's natural aesthetic, creating a striking yet harmonious focal point." —Paul Makovsky
Heat & Glo Sponsor's Choice
Glacier Point Fireplace
Prior Lake, MN
Mikan Custom Homes
"It’s a gorgeous aesthetic and an amazing feat of engineering.” —Mike Swanson
Peruse the past winners of ARCHITECT's Residential Architect Design Awards for more forward-thinking residential projects.
