From windows that are a cinch to crank open, to extra-wide garages so car doors can swing wide for better access, to walkways with gentle slopes and no curbs for mobility whether on foot or in a wheelchair, the 48 new cottages designed by Bernardon Haber Holloway Architects for Kendal~Crosslands Communities have set a new benchmark in residential architecture for this leader in communities and services for older adults.
Attention was paid to sustainability in Bernardon Haber Holloway’s design of both the buildings and the site. For example, stormwater is percolated back into the ground to recharge the aquifer, and the landscaping is drought-tolerant native plant varieties. The houses have geothermal heating and air conditioning systems which use the earth as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer. The cottages are registered with the U.S. Green Building Council with the goals of Gold (for the 38 single-story cottages) and Silver (for the 10 cottages with basements) certifications under USGBC's Kendal Cottages LEED program. The LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.
Design choices also deliberately create a healthful environment, both indoors and out. For example, carpets, paints and flooring materials that emit very low quantities of noxious gases were selected. Physical activity is encouraged by seamless, stepless pathways to the community’s activities center.
The cottages are sited in the rolling terrain so that each one has natural vistas rather than views of adjacent houses, while their overall arrangement has the comfortable feel of a neighborhood.
Five different floor plans range from 1,250 square feet to 3,775 square feet for those with walk-out basements. All have a three-season room, an open-plan kitchen, nine- and ten-foot ceilings, and a garage. Additional sustainability features include high- efficiency appliances, lighting, windows and water heating, and plumbing fixtures that achieve 25 to 30 percent water savings beyond U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements. +
Related Stories
Wood | Jul 16, 2021
The future of mass timber construction, with Swinerton's Timberlab
In this exclusive for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield sat down with three Timberlab leaders to discuss the launch of the firm and what factors will lead to greater mass timber demand.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 15, 2021
Economic rebound leads to record increase in multifamily asking rents
Across the country, multifamily rents have skyrocketed. Year-over-year rents are up by double digits in nine of the top 30 markets, while national YoY rent growth is up 6.3%. Emerging from the pandemic, a perfect storm of migration, enhanced government stimulus and a hot housing market, among other factors, has enabled this extremely strong growth.
K-12 Schools | Jul 9, 2021
LPA Architects' STEM high school post-occupancy evaluation
LPA Architects conducted a post-occupancy evaluation, or POE, of the eSTEM Academy, a new high school specializing in health/medical and design/engineering Career Technical Education, in Eastvale, Calif. The POE helped LPA, the Riverside County Office of Education, and the Corona-Norco Unified School District gain a better understanding of which design innovations—such as movable walls, flex furniture, collaborative spaces, indoor-outdoor activity areas, and a student union—enhanced the education program, and how well students and teachers used these innovations.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 7, 2021
Make sure to get your multifamily amenities mix right
One of the hardest decisions multifamily developers and their design teams have to make is what mix of amenities they’re going to put into each project. A lot of squiggly factors go into that decision: the type of community, the geographic market, local recreation preferences, climate/weather conditions, physical parameters, and of course the budget. The permutations are mind-boggling.
Industrial Facilities | Jul 2, 2021
A new approach to cold storage buildings
Cameron Trefry and Kate Lyle of Ware Malcomb talk about their firm's cold storage building prototype that is serving a market that is rapidly expanding across the supply chain.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 30, 2021
A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartment buildings
Grimm + Parker’s vision foresees buildings with rentable offices and refrigerated package storage.
![Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]](/sites/default/files/styles/list_big/public/Oceanographer%20John%20Englander%20Talks%20Resiliency%20and%20Buildings%20YT%20new_0.jpg?itok=enJ1TWJ8 "Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]")
Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021
Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]
New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 23, 2021
COVID-19’s impact on multifamily amenities
Multifamily project teams had to scramble to accommodate the overwhelming demand for work-from-home spaces for adults and study spaces for children.
K-12 Schools | Jun 20, 2021
Los Angeles County issues design guidelines for extending PreK-12 learning to the outdoors
The report covers everything from funding and site prep recommendations to whether large rocks can be used as seating.
Hotel Facilities | Jun 18, 2021
Adaptive reuse for hospitality, with Frank Cretella of Landmark Developers
In an exclusive interview for HorizonTV, Landmark Developers' President Frank Cretella talks about the firm's adaptive reuse projects for the hospitality sector. Cretella outlines his company's keys to success in hospitality development, including finding unique properties and creating memorable spaces.
