Newland recognizes architectural firm with inaugural award

Estrella by Newland, a 20,000-acre, mixed-use master-planned community in Goodyear announced that Swaback Architects + Planners is one of four recipients of Newland’s inaugural Robert B. McLeod Partners in Placemaking award.

Newland celebrates more than five decades of award-winning placemaking, and is excited to honor the architectural firm’s dedication, vision, and customer-centric development of Lucero and Casa Lucero in Estrella, according to a release.

The Robert B. McLeod Partners in Placemaking award honors exceptional work of innovation and collaboration, while celebrating the legacy of Newland’s founder, Robert B. McLeod.

Swaback is recognized for its design of Lucero, the newest village in Estrella, incorporating key land elements of the Sierra Estrella Mountains creating an exceptional place while enhancing and protecting the value, desirability, and attractiveness of the land. Lucero opened in 2019.

READ: Goodyear officially opens Station 186 in Estrella Mountain Ranch

Mr. McCleod and Vern Swaback have known one another for nearly four decades and have worked on multiple developments including the well-known Mountain Park Ranch in Phoenix, the release stated. Mr. Swaback’s love for the desert then and love for the desert now is at the center of making exceptional communities in Arizona.

“Our partners are an integral part of giving the customers what they want and responding to how they want to live,” said Mr. McLeod, executive chairman of Newland and the award’s namesake. “Some of our relationships go back decades, and these partners have made significant contributions to the development of our communities nationwide. They are integral to our process of creating communities.”

This award is open to builders, commercial developers, land planners, architects, engineers, designers, creative and branding agencies, and community service organizations that enrich the local community, while also raising the industry’s standards and exceeding customer’s expectations. Recipients receive a crystal award commemorating their achievement and a charitable contribution is made annually as part of the program.

READ: 75 years of progress, Major city projects underway in Goodyear

“From our first kick-off meeting until we opened Lucero, you could feel the passion of the entire Newland and Estrella teams,” said Mr. Swaback, the architectural firm’s founding partner. “Everyone knew and understood just how special this piece of land was and they entrusted us to treat Lucero with that same respect for the land, and to deliver a village that would only get better with time.”

Newland utilized a two-tier judging program to narrow submissions to nine finalists, using criteria that included categories like innovation, attainability, sustainability, design, problem solving, and community support.

To learn more about Estrella by Newland, call the New Home Information Center at 623-386-1000 or visit estrella.com.