Two members of Treasure Coast Builders Association win

high profile home building industry award

Bayview Construction and Buford Construction take home Aurora Awards

The Treasure Coast Builders Association (TCBA) announced that two of its members, Bayview Construction and Buford Construction, were selected as recipients of the highly-prized Aurora Awards that recognizes premier building professionals in the Southeast United States.

The Aurora Awards, administered by the Florida Home Builders Association, honors the finest builders, architects, interior designers, landscape architects and other building professionals in the Southeast United States. Some of the award categories include single-family homes, custom homes, kitchens, baths, residential developments, commercial projects, hotels, healthcare facilities, rental apartments, landscape design, remodeling and green construction.

"It's a great feeling to have your product judged superior by your fellow peers in the building industry," said Don Santos, past president of the TCBA and president of Santos Construction. "When competing with builders across the entire southeastern United States and you're awarded an Aurora, it's a thrill - it's like receiving a Grammy Award. Not many chapters have two members win Aurora's in the same year. The Treasure Coast is very fortunate to have top-notch builders to choose from."

Bayview won an Aurora Award (Commercial Project-Mixed Use/Retail/Residential category) for the construction of The Esplanade at Downtown Stuart. The 22,904 square-foot, three-story building is located at 50 SE Ocean Boulevard in downtown Stuart and sits upon less than one acre of land. It includes an existing and now renovated single-story commercial building that houses the Edelweiss Cafe and Deli. The building contains two large retail suites and covered parking on the ground level, five office suites on the second floor and five condominium residences on the third floor ranging from 1,150 to 1,800 square feet. The Esplanade at Downtown Stuart is owned by Otto Vitale.

Bayview has received others awards for The Esplanade at Downtown Stuart, including a Gold Medallion Award (Architecture Design-Commercial Property division) in the association's annual Medallion Awards competition, which recognizes and honors excellence within the building industry, and a national Awards of Excellence from the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) National Commercial Builder Council.

"At Bayview we're proud and honored to be selected as an Aurora Award winner," said Ken Ringe, president of Bayview Construction and past president of the TCBA. "It's humbling to receive such a prestigious award given all of the high quality builders that we were judged against. The Esplanade at Downtown Stuart adds to the beauty of a historic and thriving area of our community."

Buford Construction received an Aurora Award (Landscape/Pool Design category) for the Wakeman Residence, which earned the distinction of being the first home in Martin County, and the largest in the state of Florida, to be certified "green" by the Florida Green Building Coalition. The home exemplifies casual living reflecting the owner's love of natural environments. Native plantings are interspersed with existing ancient oak trees and flowering tropical fauna. The pool combines an authentic Seminole Chickee Hut with outdoor kitchen, swim-up bar, grotto spa and water slide. Native Florida limestone was incorporated throughout the pool and garden areas to create various landscape levels.

In addition to the highly coveted Aurora Award, Buford Construction received four gold Medallion Awards for the Wakeman Residence from the TCBA, achieving a perfect score from the judges for craftsmanship.

"Working with the caliber of sub-contractors contributed greatly to the quality of this notable project," said Dennis Buford, president of Buford Construction in Stuart. "We couldn't have had a more wonderful working relationship with the owners who allowed us to build this beautiful home. Winning an Aurora Award is always an honor for us, especially on such positive projects.

Treasure Coast Builders Association is a 1,200-plus member association that represents and protects the interests of the building industry in Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Indian River counties. Membership is comprised of builders, developers, sub-contractors, suppliers, lenders, architects, realtors, and manufacturers who are dedicated to building stature and respect for the industry in the community. For more information, please visit TCBA online at www.treasurecoastba.com.

Bayview, headquartered in Stuart, is a certified state-licensed general contractor. A national award-winning company and a Builder of the Year award recipient by the Treasure Coast Builders Association (TCBA), Bayview celebrates its 30 th anniversary this year. For more information on the company and its capabilities, visit www.BayviewConstruction.com or call 772-283-9300.

Buford Construction is a certified state-license general contractor, a national and local award-winning company specializing in remodeling, custom homes and commercial building. Buford Construction is a designated Florida Green Advantage Builder. For more information, please call 772-283-2050 or visit www.BufordConstruction.com.