Hurlocker Homes has won the top prize, the Grand Hacienda Award, in this year's Hacienda's: A Parade of Homes. This is the first time in the thirteen year history of the event that a truly "contemporary" home has won this prestigious award. Michael Hurlocker and his team have consistently encouraged the contemporary aesthetic. Over the years, in collaboration with Robert Zachry, AIA, and others, Hurlocker has built over 20 of the most contemporary homes in Santa Fe. "We believe our work represents a natural evolution of Santa Fe style, which includes Pueblo Revival and Territorial Revival design," Hurlocker explains. It is significant that a contemporary style Santa Fe home has won the Grand Hacienda Award this year. It is indicative of the direction the market is heading and it represents a fresh approach to styles that are over-used and stale. "Our homes are clearly recognizable as Southwest style homes. We have simply refined and sharpened local Southwestern architectural elements into modern forms that are consistent with and echo existing themes. We feel it is a natural progression of the design process," Hurlocker said.

The winning house, known as the 37 house, was designed by Hurlocker Homes team member, Robert Zachry, AIA, and completed in August 2006. The attention to detail is impeccable throughout. There are few houses that are built to such exacting standards. "These homes are challenging to construct. With their sharp edges, precise lines and angles, and flat surfaces they must be built to a much higher standard than a Pueblo Revival style house with its rounded and slumped surfaces," remarks Hurlocker. The 37 house is finished in dark olive taupe, chocolate brown, and ochre stuccos. Hurlocker prefers dark exterior colors that "read better against the typical backdrop of junipers and pinons than the lighter earth-tone stuccos commonly used." The interior walls of the primary living spaces are finished with a three coat plaster process that is then polished with beeswax to a high luster. The result is breathtaking. "Nearly everyone who toured the house during Parade touched the walls when they first entered the house," noted Hurlocker. "Beeswax is a great sealant. It's natural. We paste-wax it on then polish it with a car buffer," he explained. The house features a cast-concrete 50 x 5 foot reflecting pool that separates the front sloped walkway from the west-facing portal. The deep contemporary portal connects to the kitchen through a series of French doors, resulting in a spacious indoor/outdoor living area with a magnificent western panorama. "My first intent for this portal was écran de soleil, or sun screen. We had to mitigate the light from the west and this has been accomplished for years with a portal. I've taken the design elements of a portal common to Southwestern style homes and distilled them into a modern architecturally interesting and functional form," Zachry said.

This years Parade of Homes judging process differed from past years. A jury was selected from professional Architects and Design/Builders from neighboring states. In addition, the categories were changed to include: Best Planning, Livability, and Circulation; Best Use of Surface, Materials, and Finishes; Most Creative and Innovative; and Best Exterior Character. Hurlocker said the changes were important. "This is the first year they've had professional judges," he said. "It makes a huge difference having a jury of design professionals. There were finalists in every price category indicating that each entry was evaluated on merit rather than price. Also, they no longer judged individual rooms, or areas of the house such as Best Kitchen. The new categories opened up the review to a much broader scope. We are trying to do something innovative and ground breaking within the genre of Southwest architecture. We are very gratified to have won this award," Hurlocker said.