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The American Institute of Architects, California Council, Recognizes the Firm of Hart Howerton As the Recipient of the Prestigious Nathaniel A. Owings Award

Posted on: Thursday, 30 October 2008, 00:00 CDT

The architectural firm Hart Howerton has been recognized by The American Institute of Architects, California Council (AIACC), as the recipient of the prestigious Nathaniel A. Owings Award for their work on the Santa Lucia Preserve. This award is given to those who have demonstrated an outstanding accomplishment in the preservation of nature in relation to California's built environment.

While working with the Rancho San Carlos Partnership in 1990, the firm created a master plan for conservation of the Partnership's historic 20,000-acre Mexican land grant parcel property in Monterey, Calif. The plan acknowledges the land and its wildlife as the primary assets and establishes conservation goals that determine the character of its development. Two thousand acres of this private development consists of 350 sites for homes. This includes housing for the Preserve's employees, an 18-hole golf course, a clubhouse, an equestrian center and recreational facility. The remaining 18,000 acres have been placed in a trust with the Santa Lucia Conservancy, which was incorporated in 1995 to preserve, monitor and restore the land as a natural resource.

The Santa Lucia Preserve is a significantly large-scale example of limited development being used as an unconventional conservation tool. The plan creates an ownership opportunity for individuals to directly participate in the stewardship of a unique resource which typically would be lost to conventional thinking or restrictive entitlement battles.

The AIACC represents the interests of nearly 11,000 architects and allied professionals in California. Founded in 1944, The AIACC's mission supports architects in their endeavors to improve the quality of life for all Californians by creating more livable communities, sustainable designs and quality work environments. Today, The AIACC is the largest component of the national AIA organization. For more information, visit www.aiacc.org.

Source: Business Wire

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