flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Manny Gonzalez, FAIA, inducted into Best in American Living Awards Hall of Fame

Multifamily Housing

Manny Gonzalez, FAIA, inducted into Best in American Living Awards Hall of Fame

The architect won 28 NAHB Best of 55+ Housing Gold Awards, totaling 44 overall, including four Innovation Awards. 


February 29, 2024
Gonzalez, a veteran of 22 years at KTGY, was recognized for his professional career and charitable work.
Gonzalez has established his own firm, Lifestyle Design Consulting, after more than two decades at KTGY.

LOS ANGELES, February 28, 2024 - The National Association of Home Builders has inducted Manny Gonzalez, FAIA, into the Hall of Fame at the Best in American Living Awards ceremony. The event took place during the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Nev.

Established in 2008, the BALA Hall of Fame program honors thought leaders in the housing industry who have significantly influenced residential design and construction. Over the past 15 years, the BALA Hall of Fame has welcomed 48 visionaries who have pushed the boundaries of residential design, altering the trajectory of housing. Gonzalez joins recent inductees, including Mike Woodley, AIA, and David Baker, FAIA, as well as industry legends Berry Berkus, FAIA, Walt Richardson, FAIA, and Art Danielian, FAIA.

“I have always had a passion for designing homes that residents would love, from affordable apartments and starter homes to luxury active adult communities and assisted living. To be included in such prestigious company for simply doing what I enjoy is an overwhelming honor,” Gonzalez said.

KEY PLAYER IN THE GROWTH OF THE KTGY DESIGN FIRM

Gonzalez, the founder and president of Lifestyle Design Consulting, LLC, has been instrumental in creating vibrant residential communities across the country. He established this consulting practice after 22 years at KTGY, where he oversaw the design, land planning, and production of numerous residential developments throughout the United States, spanning market-rate, affordable, and active adult multifamily residences, as well as mixed-use developments. During his time at KTGY, Gonzalez was instrumental in the growth of the firm, initiating the establishment of new offices in Los Angeles, Denver, and Tysons, Va.

His career commenced at Johannes Van Tilburg & Partners, now VTBS Architects. Within a year, he became a partner and served in that capacity for another 11 years. In 1993, he joined Kaufman & Broad (now KB Home) designing homes and affordable apartments both domestically and internationally, including Paris, France. While at KB, Gonzalez was the architect for Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy Carter Work Project in the Watts section of Los Angeles, building 21 homes in 21 days.

DESIGNED HOMES FOR WOUNDED VETERANS 

At KTGY, Gonzalez designed three ABC Green Homes that Habitat for Humanity built for the families of wounded veterans and was also the architect for the Gary Sinise Foundation Specially Adapted Smart Home. He led the effort to renovate Hope Gardens for the Union Rescue Mission and the rebuild of the San Fernando Rescue Mission after their fire. He went on to be a part of the Rebuild Together New Orleans program with NAHB following Hurricane Katrina, earning him the inaugural Building Industry Association’s TED Humanitarian Award.

In 2016, Gonzalez was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. His Fellowship recognition acknowledges not only his individual architectural achievements but also his significant contributions to national architecture and society.

NUMEROUS GOLD NUGGET AND BEST OF 55+ AWARDS

With over 40 years in residential development practice, Gonzalez has received numerous other awards for his innovative designs, including Gold Nugget, Best in American Living and Pillars of Industry awards. He notably secured the LEED for Homes Multifamily Project of the Year Award for the Platinum Certified community of Primera Terra in Playa Vista, California. Gonzalez has earned 28 NAHB Best of 55+ Housing Gold Awards, totaling 44 overall, including four Innovation Awards. He received the NAHB’s inaugural “55+ Associate of the Year” at the 2016 International Builders’ Show (IBS). Gonzalez provided his design expertise for showcase homes at the 2019 IBS and 2016 Greenbuild Conference, pushing the boundaries of efficiency, sustainability, health and well-being.


Gonzalez recently served as vice chair of the Urban Land Institute Lifestyle Residential Development Council and as a member of NAHB’s Multifamily Leadership Board. He has authored and contributed to scores of articles on residential design and previously chaired the Editorial Advisory Board for 55+ Housing online magazine and served as editorial advisor to SGC Horizon's Multifamily Design+Construction (now Multifamily Pro+), Gonzalez has presented at national conferences as well as at the 1st International Housing Conference of the Americas in Mexico City. He was also invited to speak at the International Symposium of Design of Senior Living in Qingdao, China.


An eighth-generation native of Los Angeles, Gonzalez holds a BArch degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MArch from the University of Southern California.

About Lifestyle Design Consulting, LLC


Lifestyle Design Consulting, LLC offers conceptual design services to create innovative floor plans, site plans, and amenity centers. For more information, contact Manny Gonzalez, FAIA, at mannygonzalezfaia@gmail.com.

Related Stories

Daylighting Designs | Jul 9, 2021

New daylighting diffusers come in three shape options

Solatube introduces its newest technology innovation to its commercial product line, the OptiView Shaping Diffusers.

Multifamily Housing | Jul 8, 2021

As homelessness becomes more visible, building shelters presents opportunities to AEC firms

C.W. Driver Companies and XL Construction have just completed transitional housing projects in California.

Multifamily Housing | Jul 7, 2021

Make sure to get your multifamily amenities mix right

​One of the hardest decisions multifamily developers and their design teams have to make is what mix of amenities they’re going to put into each project. A lot of squiggly factors go into that decision: the type of community, the geographic market, local recreation preferences, climate/weather conditions, physical parameters, and of course the budget. The permutations are mind-boggling.

Multifamily Housing | Jun 30, 2021

A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartment buildings

Grimm + Parker’s vision foresees buildings with rentable offices and refrigerated package storage.

Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021

Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]

New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.

Multifamily Housing | Jun 23, 2021

COVID-19’s impact on multifamily amenities

Multifamily project teams had to scramble to accommodate the overwhelming demand for work-from-home spaces for adults and study spaces for children. 

Multifamily Housing | Jun 22, 2021

New apartment community breaks ground in Bethesda

KTGY is designing the project.

Multifamily Housing | Jun 14, 2021

Baccarat Residences Brickell set to rise in Miami

Arquitectonica is designing the project.

Multifamily Housing | Jun 9, 2021

MVE + Partners completes One Museum Square

The luxury apartment community is located in the heart of Los Angeles.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Curtain Wall

7 steps to investigating curtain wall leaks

It is common for significant curtain wall leakage to involve multiple variables. Therefore, a comprehensive multi-faceted investigation is required to determine the origin of leakage, according to building enclosure consultants Richard Aeck and John A. Rudisill with Rimkus. 




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021