McWhinney Honored With National Design Awards For Kinston Hub in Centerra

February 6, 2023 Posted In

McWhinney has won three platinum awards for its Kinston Hub in the 2022 Best in American Living™ Awards (BALA) by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The awards were announced on Feb. 1 during the 2023 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.

The awards were all platinum in all three categories (the highest level award):

• Category 56: Community or Community Facility 1001-3000 units
• Community or Community Facility of the Year
• Best in Region/Mountain

Quote from the judges:
“This is the perfect gathering spot for a community of this size, all the way down to the details. From smart outlets at the bar to raised garden beds outdoors to the incorporation of greenery and color, this facility provides a fun, welcoming spot that residents can utilize day in and day out.”

The Hub, which opened in May 2022, is the welcome center for Kinston, Centerra’s newest residential community on the east side of I-25 in Loveland. Envisioned as a gathering place for residents and their friends and families, its design suggests an adaptive reuse of two older buildings, an agrarian farmhouse-style structure and a brick, mercantile structure. Knitted together by a glass entryway, these two components create a warm gathering space and a sense of place in a brand-new development, with design choices that reflect the terrain and the origins of the land.

The facility is 5,750 square feet and sits on a 1.82-acre lot. It features a family-owned craft brewery and coffee shop called Mountain Cowboy, coworking spaces, a gathering room for community events, outdoor social spaces, indoor and outdoor art, five fireplaces, a community/demonstration garden and water-wise native landscaping. To take advantage of mountain views, the team elevated the building site by 8 feet.

“The Hub is an unparalleled community facility, featuring premier architectural and interior design that creates a warm and welcoming sense of place for residents of a brand-new, master-planned community,” said Abby Kirkbride, general manager of Centerra. “Its unique style/design includes cattle brands in the floorboards, a local artist’s Colorado wildflower mural and framed photos from the McWhinney family’s original homestead. The Hub isn’t just for Kinston residents – its doors are open to everyone.”

Kinston is located on 625 acres on the east side of the award-winning Centerra master-planned community. There are plans for approximately 2,900 homes at full build-out, and Kinston is working with four different home builders so far, offering single-family, built-for-rent and paired homes from the high $400s.

The Hub was designed by RHA (Robert Hidey Architects) and developed by McWhinney. The interior was designed by Creative License International. The land planner was McWhinney, and the landscape architect was DTJ Design.

Now in its 39th year, BALA recognizes outstanding achievement by builders and design professionals in all sectors of the residential housing industry including single-family production, custom, multifamily, affordable, remodeling, community and interiors. BALA is built on the principle that all great homes start with great design, no matter cost or size.