True cottage housing developments are a smart new choice in Northwest housing and the perfect solution for a smarter, energy efficient, and environmentally responsible lifestyle. These pocket neighborhoods of “not-so-big,” detached homes are designed to live large. With conversational front porches oriented to internal pedestrian “streets” and gardens, cottage housing promotes neighbor-to-neighbor contact while reducing the impact of cars.
A centrally located commons building expands your private entertainment options and serves as a venue for neighborhood gatherings, exercise classes or craft events. The common area landscape features edible fruits and easy to maintain native plants. There is even a community “pea patch” garden where residents can grow their own vegetables.
The clustered site design and green construction lessens the environmental impact and provides residents with a lower annual cost of living. From the homes that require less energy, to the smaller yards that require less maintenance, to the low impact development (LID) common areas, cottage housing is the perfect choice for today’s lifestyle.
The most advanced low impact development (LID) techniques are incorporated into the land planning of our developments. Standard developments consolidate contaminated storm run-off from impervious surfaces with catch basins, pipes, and ugly fenced detention ponds (aka rainwater prisons). This oil and chemical laced water is eventually discharged into the Puget Sound. A basic tenet of the LID approach is capturing storm water run-off as close to its source as possible and naturally infiltrating it back into the earth. This recharges the local eco-system and keeps pollutants out of our waterways.
Nexus Studio projects accomplish storm water LID by utilizing three major techniques. Pervious concrete with an infiltrative gravel gallery beneath all driveway and parking areas, rain gardens dispersed throughout the project for roof run-off and ground area sheet flows, and below grade infiltration trenches for the newly paved public street areas when soil conditions allow. These techniques eliminate the need for surface detention ponds or expensive underground rain detention vaults and increase the amount of usable green space in the project. Rain gardens turn an aesthetic dilemma into an attractive lifestyle feature. Market driven LID techniques, as implemented by The Nexus Studio, can actually save development costs and simultaneously deliver an environmentally responsible green solution.