We are thrilled to share that Enso Village received PCBC’s 2025 Gold Nugget Grand Award for Best Age Qualified Senior Living Community!
Enso Village is located among rolling hills of Healdsburg, California, in the heart of Sonoma’s wine country. The property is sited to take advantage of its pastoral environment surrounded by gently sloping hills, vineyards, and woodlands with two miles of tranquil walking paths connecting the community’s indoor and outdoor spaces. The independent living, assisted living, memory care residences, and abundance of common areas support a vision of mindful aging in place and healthy life choices. This unique project was a wonderful collaboration with Enso Village, the San Francisco Zen Center, and our design partners Mithun Design, Perkins Eastman, and The Weitz Company.
Thank you to PCBC for this recognition – we are honored to receive this award. Congratulations to all Gold Nugget award recipients!
Since joining HKIT in 2021, Sam has successfully managed a select number of the firm’s affordable housing projects, partnering with clients and builders to develop thoughtfully designed and sustainable places to live. Principal, Paul McElwee notes, “Sam has demonstrated a commitment to exceptional client and project management, as well as strong leadership capabilities as the facilitator of the firm’s quarterly Housing Studio Forum. With a background and experience in alternative project delivery methods, we look forward to his on-going contributions to the firm’s capabilities.”
Yanina has been with the firm for five years and has proven to be particularly crucial to the firm’s technological advancements in building information modeling. As an Autodesk Certified Revit Professional, she is a leading member of the firm’s Revit committee, sharing her technical knowledge and best practices with the design staff. As a designer, she has worked on senior living, affordable housing, and educational facility projects. “We applaud Yanina for her initiative and guidance in the firm’s evolving technological capabilities. Along with her technical expertise, she has demonstrated outstanding leadership, successfully managing several senior living projects from design through permitting and construction. Her dedication to quality and collaboration has made a lasting impact on our team and the communities we serve,” notes principal, Christophe Laverne.
Congratulations to Sam and Yanina on their well-earned promotions!
We are delighted to announce that FOUR of our projects have received Awards of Merit in PCBC’s 2025 Gold Nugget Awards program! The Adult Education and District Office Building at Jefferson Union High School District has been recognized in the Best Educational Project category, while Foon Lok East at Brooklyn Basin has received an award in the category of Best Affordable Housing Community 100 du/acre or more. Two of our senior living projects, Belmont Village San Ramon and Enso Village have been recognized in the categories of Best Service Enriched 55+ Community IL/AL/Memory Care and Best Age Qualified Senior Living Community, respectively.
Thank you to Pacific Coast Builders’ Conference (PCBC) for this recognition, and congratulations to our clients and talented design partners on these amazing projects.
Enso Village has been named a finalist in Environments for Aging’s 29th annual Design Showcase! The Showcase is a vibrant compilation of architecture and interior design projects in senior care facilities. The community is America’s first Zen-inspired life plan community, offering an innovative approach to aging mindfully. The community is located on a 16-acre campus set among rolling hills of Healdsburg in the heart of Sonoma’s wine country. The property is sited to take advantage of its pastoral environment surrounded by gently sloping hills, vineyards, and woodlands with two miles of tranquil walking paths connecting the community’s indoor and outdoor spaces.
Principal, Christophe Laverne, will be a panelist on two separate sessions: “High Tech Low Profile: Designing Zen Inspirational Living” and “Smart Senior Living 2.0”. The sessions will focus on the design and implementation of low voltage technology and smart technology, respectively, as applied to senior care settings. Using the recently completed Enso Village in Healdsburg, California as a case study, Christophe will share the ins and outs of designing technology to support resident care.
The 81-unit affordable senior community in Morgan Hill has been certified GreenPoint Platinum! Originally targeted for Gold rating, the all-electric development achieved Platinum status through the hard work of the design team, client, general contractor, and the sustainability/code consultant. The project features sustainable measures including rooftop photovoltaics, electric vehicle parking, and drought-tolerant landscape.
Two of our projects received merit awards in PCBC’s 2024 Gold Nugget Awards! Elegance Berkeley in the Best Service Enriched 55+ Community – IL/AL/Memory Care category and Monroe Commons in the category of Best Affordable Housing Community Under 30 du/acre.
Thank you to PCBC for this recognition, and congratulations to our amazing clients, our talented project teams, and design partners who brought these special projects to life!
We are pleased to announce two promotions to Associate!
Since joining HKIT in 2018, Lisa (pictured top right) has successfully undertaken some of the firm’s most technically challenging affordable housing projects in recent history with thoughtfulness and diligence. Principal Paul notes, “Lisa demonstrates a commitment to HKIT’s ongoing growth and improvement, not only through her project work but also through her active involvement with our internal Revit Committee and Design Break series.”
Amy has played a crucial role in the success of our educational facility projects, from campus modernizations to new constructions. Regarded as a DSA expert by our team, Amy’s comprehensive knowledge of the DSA processes has kept our projects moving forward smoothly. Principal Melissa commended Amy for her dedication and leadership, highlighting her recent CSI certification and ability to create lasting relationships with clients.
Join us in congratulating Lisa and Amy on their well-deserved promotions!
Principal Paul McElwee joined HKIT in 2005, and has been on a steadfast mission to make an impact on the Bay Area community through the design of resilient and sustainable affordable housing. As the firm’s multifamily housing practice leader he shares, “Affordable housing has always been an important market sector in the Bay Area, and with the on-going housing crisis, I am grateful to be a part of a firm that is integral to the design of quality affordable spaces for our most vulnerable populations.”
When asked what his favorite thing about working at HKIT is, he responded, “The people! We have an incredible team at HKIT, and I’m inspired every day by the passion and dedication they bring to their work. I couldn’t be more lucky!”
Thank you, Paul, for your dedication to continuing HKIT’s legacy of creating meaningful places for people to call home.
For nearly two decades at HKIT, Principal Jeff Evans has focused his attention on designing thoughtful and inspiring learning environments for public and private educational clients. “Upon completing grad school, I learned that HKIT’s mission was to create architecture that enriches the community and environment, and that rang true with me then as much as it does now. Our work is about people, creating safe and affordable buildings that provide homes and environments for education. Great places to live and learn are fundamental keys to successful life pathways. I feel that our work is an important part of helping people thrive. That’s why I joined HKIT, and it’s why I’m still here and excited about the work that we do.”
When asked what about HKIT he is particularly proud of, he shared, “I’m proud of HKIT being a leader in highly efficient, sustainable educational design. This is an area of our practice that I have been heavily involved in, and I remember the hard work and steps it took to get to where we are today. I’m proud of our emphasis on creating sustainable, resource-efficient projects that use less energy and water, that are healthy for people and the whole world.”
We thank Jeff for his passion and commitment to designing meaningful and sustainable spaces.
