A new residential community concept will break ground in East End Houston on Jan. 21, 2022. The multimillion-dollar cohousing project is the first of its kind in Texas and will serve as an interactive livable space for neighbors in a sustainable environment.
A cohousing community is intended to provide its residents unique benefits such as fostering a sense of belonging by sharing a common purpose. Isolation is minimized through a physical and social design that naturally facilitates community interactions. Residents may also share the cost of everyday living expenses such as transportation, groceries, and internet usage.
The residential community will be built in a 1.5-acre lot and comprise 33 one, two-, three-, and four-bedroom units. The units will have street-facing entrances and porches to integrate with the existing sidewalks and streets in the area.
Other cohousing aspects will include community gardens, workshops, outdoor dining areas, and a 4,000+-sf Common House where residents can gather for for community dinners, meetings, celebrations, and other happenings that build relationships. The design will also include sustainability elements such as geothermal heat exchange, solar readiness, and healthy building materials.
Development Partners include:
- Kathleen English, Architect, English and Associates. Houston-based architecture firm specializing in municipal and civic projects focused on sustainability.
- David Kelley, Partner, Troon Development. Houston-based developer with experience in diverse industries, including multi-family.
- Kathryn McCamant, President, CoHousing Solutions. Architect and cohousing consultant, coauthor of the authoritative book on cohousing, Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves, introduced this housing model to North America.
- Bryan Bowen, Architect, Caddis PC. Boulder-based architecture firm with an extensive background in building cohousing communities.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Manitoba Hydro Place, Tornado Tower among world's 'best tall buildings,' according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat last week announced the winners of its annual “Best Tall Building” awards for 2009, recognizing one outstanding tall building from each of four geographical regions: Americas, Asia & Australia, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. This year’s winners are: Manitoba Hydro Place, Winnipeg, Canada; Linked Hybrid, Beijing, China; The Broadgate Tower, London, UK; Tornado Tower, Doha, Qatar.
| Aug 11, 2010
Call for entries: Building enclosure design awards
The Boston Society of Architects and the Boston chapter of the Building Enclosure Council (BEC-Boston) have announced a High Performance Building award that will assess building enclosure innovation through the demonstrated design, construction, and operation of the building enclosure.
| Aug 11, 2010
CampusBrands Inc., NYLO Hotels team to launch student housing franchise brand
Which would you choose: the cramped quarters, thin mattresses, and crowded communal bathrooms of dormitory life or a new type of student housing with comfortable couches, a game room, fitness center, Wi-Fi in every room, flat-screen televisions and maybe even a theater?
| Aug 11, 2010
Portland Cement Association offers blast resistant design guide for reinforced concrete structures
Developed for designers and engineers, "Blast Resistant Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Structures" provides a practical treatment of the design of cast-in-place reinforced concrete structures to resist the effects of blast loads. It explains the principles of blast-resistant design, and how to determine the kind and degree of resistance a structure needs as well as how to specify the required materials and details.
| Aug 11, 2010
New website highlights government tax incentives for large commercial buildings
Energy Retrofit Group (ERG), the subsidiary of 40-year-old, award-winning Adache Group Architects, Inc., has announced the creation of their new energy conservation web site: www.energy-rg.com.
| Aug 11, 2010
Gensler, HOK, HDR among the nation's leading reconstruction design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 100 Reconstruction Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Dewberry among nation's largest multifamily design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 Multifamily Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit /giants
| Aug 11, 2010
ASHRAE introduces building energy label prototype
Most of us know the fuel efficiency of our cars, but what about our buildings? ASHRAE is working to change that, moving one step closer today to introducing its building energy labeling program with release of a prototype label at its 2009 Annual Conference in Louisville, Ky.
| Aug 11, 2010
RMJM unveils design details for $1B green development in Turkey
International architecture company RMJM today announced details of the $1 billion Varyap Meridian development it is designing in Istanbul’s new residential and business district, which will be one of the "greenest" projects in Turkey. The luxury 372,000-square-meter development on a site totalling 107,000 square meters will be located in the Atasehir district of Istanbul, which the Turkish government intends to transform into the country’s new financial district and business center.
