Update:
A Living Laboratory / A Laboratory for Living
Few doubt the benefits – to either the environment or the individual – of green building practices. But how is it possible to foster innovation and creativity while preventing a public realm overwhelmed by experimental prototypes?
The team at work in the design studio thinks they may have the answer.
They’re currently exploring the idea of structuring the project as a series of small, individual neighborhoods, perhaps 10 acres each, comprised of several blocks clustered together and sold as a unit to a developer or builder.
The outside of these neighborhoods, bordered on the graphic below by yellow streets, would be more rigorously coded, ensuring consistent quality and design throughout the project’s primary public areas.
On the inside of each cluster, however, would be streets and spaces more loosely regulated, where innovation and creativity could flourish. Such innovation might come in the form of a community garden or solar array. Or in designing a certain area as a highly compact, intimate and pedestrian-only environment such as La Villita.
The idea is to provide the sufficient liberty for individual builders to meet growing green market demand through adaptation and excellence. Ultimately, each cluster could come to possess its own unique character, providing a wealth of different environments within easy reach of residents throughout the project.
http://www.whatsnextforwindsorpark.com