The Daniels Corporation and Great Gulf were named homebuilders of the year by Building Industry and Land Development (BILD) at the 2025 BILD Awards Gala.

Held on May 29 in the Toronto suburb of Vaughan, at Universal Eventspace, builder and developer Daniels took home the award in the mid- to highrise category, while Great Gulf was recognized for lowrise homes. Both companies are based in Toronto.

Great Gulf earned two more accolades during the gala: lowrise project of the year for Oakpointe in Oakville, shared with Arista Homes; and lowrise green builder of the year.

The mid- to highrise green builder of the year was Tridel, a Toronto-based condo builder. The company has been a trailblazer in sustainable multifamily housing development, including initiatives such as a cutting-edge, electrified, low-carbon promotional condo unit at The Well in Toronto.

Project of the year for mid- to highrise housing went to luxury home developer North Drive Investments for One Roxborough West, a 12-storey, 21-unit condo in the upscale Summerhill neighbourhood of Toronto.

“This year’s winners truly exemplify outstanding innovation and showcase the excellence of the building industry in the Greater Toronto Area,” BILD president and CEO David Wilkes said in the announcement.

BILD is a Toronto-based industry group comprised of homebuilders, developers and renovators.

Communities, rentals, design awards

The best built community award went to developer Fitzrovia for the Elm-Ledbury, a rental community of 28- and 29-storey towers with a combined 542 units.

The best purpose-built rental award was won by The Rose Corporation for The Bakerfield II, a 10-storey, 175-unit apartment.

Argo Development Corporation’s Caledon Station was named best new community planned or under construction. Designed as a master-planned community of detached homes, semi-detached homes, townhomes and condos, it is to be anchored by the proposed Caledon GO Station.

For best designed buildings, Equiton Developments won the award for midrise buildings with Maxium at 875 The Queensway, an 11-storey condo of 152 units in Etobicoke. On the highrise side, Devron Developments won the design award for 101 Spadina, a 50-storey condo planned for Toronto that has its height bumped up from the original plan for a 39-storey tower.

Innovation, inspiration, leadership awards

Assembly Corp., a Toronto-based construction company specializing in mass timber, received the Angelo DelZotto Fearless Innovator Award. Named after the former chairman emeritus of Tridel, it recognizes trailblazing new ways of building housing. Assembly is importing robotic manufacturing equipment from Swedish company Lindbäcks Group for a Toronto-area factory planned to open in early 2026.

The lgnat Kaneff Inspiration Award went to Sam Condo of Vaughan-based Weston Flooring Ltd. Named after the founder of Kaneff Corporation, it goes to an individual or company which excels at fostering employees and inspiring career growth.

The Riley Brethour Leadership Award, named after the late founder of PMA Brethour Realty, was awarded to Adrian Rocca, founder and CEO of Fitzrovia. His company also won the Stephen Dupuis CSR Award for corporate social responsibility, an award named in honour of former BILD president and CEO Stephen Dupuis.

Howard Sokolowski wins Lifetime Achievement Award

BILD's Lifetime Achievement Award this year was bestowed onto Howard Sokolowski, founder and CEO of Metropia, a Toronto-based homebuilder behind projects such as Union City in Markham and The Hills condo in Toronto.

Called “the highest honour presented to a BILD member”, Sokolowski’s “vision, leadership, and unwavering commitment have left a lasting impact not only on our industry, but on the communities he has helped shape,” Wilkes said.

With over 30 years in real estate, Sokolowski is also the co-founder and former CEO of Tribute Communities, where he helped deliver over 30,000 homes.

At Metropia, he has grown the company into a developer of over 14,000 residential units across 22 communities, encompassing over 13 million square feet of residential, retail, and corporate space.