©2022 Espiritu Loci Incorporated
Custom home lotting and envelope design is a balance between the “wow” factor — great placement, lot size, lot type — and the practical requirements of custom home design and construction — single level living, pool to home relationship, garage placement, turning maneuvers, site grading and retention. We help our clients locate the best home sites, considering natural drainage, existing vegetation, slope and views (nighttime, daytime, long and near). We then determine the limits of the building envelope by minimizing natural beauty disturbances and maintaining a high degree of flexibility in the home design. Our sensitivity to the site and diligent work on the practical details results in a finished neighborhood that complements its natural setting, with bonus minimized site preparation costs for the homeowner and developer.
Designing hillside neighborhoods requires special care to ensure the project complements the hillside, avoiding unnecessary and expensive site work. We look for optimum places to build a home by considering views, drainage, vegetation, neighbors and topography. We connect the home sites by finding routes for roads and driveways that minimize visual disturbance to the natural terrain. While laying out the routes, natural slope, road grade and cross slope regulations, we minimize the site work and wash crossings. Lastly, we take a three-dimensional look at the entire composition of the hillside development to see if adjustments are needed to complete the overall aesthetic of the community.
As experts in neo-traditional neighborhood design (TND), we have the skills and knowledge needed to create intimate places to live. We have studied traditional neighborhoods and the relationships of their compositional elements in cities throughout the United States. Our understanding of the importance of using parks and natural features helps to increase premiums and enhance front-of-house living. Our work on production and custom neo-traditional neighborhoods showcases our ability to provide efficient lotting while creating a strong neighborhood spirit.
It is important that the character of a park supports the vision of the neighborhood in which it sits. We work with landscape architects to create picturesque settings that the whole neighborhood can take pride in and enjoy. We balance the need for curb appeal with the creation of intimate, protected settings for play and relaxation. Our team works with architects to design unique iconic structures that provide shade — a necessity in the desert — and focal points for the parks. When placed, organized and designed properly, neighborhood parks provide an identity and a feeling of openness, even in very dense neighborhoods. We have created ways that these individual parks can be designed to work together in a community for even greater value.
It is important that the character of a park supports the vision of the neighborhood in which it sits. We work with landscape architects to create picturesque settings that the whole neighborhood can take pride in and enjoy. We balance the need for curb appeal with the creation of intimate, protected settings for play and relaxation. Our team works with architects to design unique iconic structures that provide shade — a necessity in the desert — and focal points for the parks. When placed, organized and designed properly, neighborhood parks provide an identity and a feeling of openness, even in very dense neighborhoods. We have created ways that these individual parks can be designed to work together in a community for even greater value.
Production neighborhood design is second nature to our team. We are accustomed to creating quick lotting studies with maximum yield that maintain a sense of community. We make efficient plans that increase lot premiums and maximize the total value of the project. We also use simple techniques like full integration of amenities, to enhance your community and increase the net profit.
Designing multi-family neighborhoods is an exercise in efficiency. How does one provide privacy, open space, long vistas, a sense of individualism and unique places within very tight programs? We use the principles of place making to transform typical suburban condo projects into villages of tightly clustered experiences. Our well-conceived plans with strong community elements can provide both a higher yield and an increased per unit value.
As communities develop and land becomes increasingly more valuable, integrating multiple uses into a single site becomes a lucrative proposal. Providing a mix of uses is an excellent way to add activity and profitability to commercial and community cores. Similarly, under-performing commercial and multi-family sites may be reinvigorated by adding a mix of uses to an existing project. The design of these projects often requires the use of additional height, shared amenities and alternative parking solutions. However, it is the relationship between uses that determines the success of a mixed-use development. In this situation, our ability to work through detailed relationships between diverse community interests is invaluable. We have developed design solutions to assist with privacy, interaction and screening issues. By understanding the experience of various individuals who use the site (i.e. the grocery store's guests, workers, delivery personnel and quick visitors), we find ways to enhance the experience of each visitor, resident and owner. When done artfully, these projects create value far beyond what the uses were capable of providing on their own.
NEIGHBORHOOD CRAFTING
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