Right up until the housing crash, developers were building golf courses one after the other. The amount of land, water and maintenance was unsustainable. The houses in these projects were enormous and expensive requiring even more resources. Thousands of homes and lots have been developed with a faulty model. Numerous developers and builders have gone out of business. The remaining developers have been seeking a new paradigm ever since.
During the industrial age Americans fled the farms for work in the cities. The post World War II, suburban movement led a mass exodus from the cities to the suburbs in search of space. Concerns for sustainability has led to two recent trends - urban redevelopment and New Urbanism. Urban redevelopment has attracted many young couples and empty nesters seeking the conveniences of city life. New Urbanism developers have tried to create with varying degrees of success the feel of a city in the suburbs.
A possible counter-trend to New Urbanism is New Ruralism. Americans have lost all touch with their food chain and with the land. Reconnecting with the land combined with sustainable development and green building has a real appeal to large segments of the US population. While these developments take large tracts of land, dedicating portions to agriculture, walking trails, parks and other outdoor activities has tremendous appeal.
Atlanta, Georgia has two good examples of New Ruralism. Serenbe, south of Atlanta, centers is development around a 25 acre working farm and an old farmhouse converted into a bed and breakfast. It's success has been limited by difficulty with its builder group in the midst of a housing recession. Whatever difficulties faced in the housing sector have been overshadowed by great success in food and culture.
The second example is a development a little more than an hour north of Atlanta in Georgia wine country. Being built by Beecham Builders, Montaluce is a community based around a winery, vineyards and lifestyle. Known for high quality construction, the Beechams, decided to expand their business. A visit to Georgia wine country inspired them to create a community centered on a winery.
The theme of Tuscan architects falls back on an old philosophy of ancestral homes but using green building practices. The most basic of principles used is size. American homes have become so large that energy bills can be one of the largest bills families have to pay. The Beechams envisioned smaller homes with larger entertainment areas and outdoor spaces. This translates into lower cost of construction and lower energy usage.
While downsizing plays a large role, homes at Montaluce are constructed with deep wall cavities filled with blown in fiberglass on the inside and concrete block with stucco on the outside. The energy efficiency attained greatly exceeds current standards. The roofs are made from fired clay from Italy.
The tile has cavities that allow air to cool the roof and are renewable as the roof can be ground up and reused as can the concrete block. The use of Energy Star rated windows and doors completes an energy efficient, sustainable and renewable envelope. The latest homes are now incorporating an even more efficient and renewable technique - Insulated Concrete Forms (or ICF).
On the development side, more than 60% of the 400 acres were preserved for greenspace and vineyards. But that is not where it ended. Using unique design Montaluce was able to avoid all detention ponds, curbs and gutters. Roads were also narrowed to add to the rural feel but also reduced the amount of petroleum based, asphalt.
The final piece of New Ruralism is a reconnection with the land. The winery produces all its wine from its own vineyards or from other local vineyards. The restaurant inside the winery building incorporates the same local theme along with seasonal and fresh. In the Fall the restaurant will incorporate vegetables from the one acre garden, as well as eggs and pork from Montaluce's farm.
New Ruralism is certainly not for everyone, but future developers cannot ignore it. After the current recession abates, it is certain to change the behavior of most Americans. Each in his own way, Americans will look introspectively and make a decision to reduce our overall footprint on the planet. Some will do so because of environmental reasons. Others will do so because they seek to avoid future mistakes of overextending ourselves. Whatever the reason developers will have to adapt or go out of business.
Author is a builder and developer of Montaluce Winery & Estates in Dahlonega, GA. The Beecham family has been building in Atlanta for 4 generations. Their quality is know throughout the Atlanta area. Montaluce is the Beecham's first large development project. Montaluce is based around its vineyards, winery and restaurant, all passions of the Beechams. The homes built on the property are built using some of the latest techniques of green building. The development was planned in such a way to preserve more than 60% as either greenspace or agricultural. For more information please check our website http://www.montaluce.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brent_Beecham
http://EzineArticles.com/?North-Georgia-Winery-Development-Creates-New-Paradym-For-Green-Development&id=2642036
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