Project: Windermere on the Lake, Stamford, Conn. Size: 74 acres; 24 4,000- to 8,000-square-foot homes
Price Range: $3.2million–$4.8 million Completed: In progress Certifications: LEED Certified (model) Developer: NRDC Residential, Stamford Architect: Bartels-Pagliaro Architects, Norwalk, Conn. Builder: National Realty & Development Corp., Purchase, N.Y. Interiors: Karen Houghton Interiors, Nyack, Landscape Architect: Simon Johnson Landscape Architect, Bath, U.K. Consultants: Steven Winter Associates (green building), Norwalk; Environmental Planning Services (Habitat Management Plan), North Stonington, Conn.; Hybrid Homes (geothermal contractor), Wilton, Conn.
Credit: Kenneth Gabrielsen
Don’t call Windermere on the Lake a subdivision. In fact, with its single point of entry and dead-ended main arterial street, it breaks every rule in the traffic management handbook—and its creators wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The site is a natural extension of what already exists in the surrounding community,” says developer Mark Robbins of the historic Long Ridge neighborhood of Stamford, Conn., where the project is located. “We’re not creating a self-contained, insulated community, but an evolution of the area’s existing development.”
But while the 74-acre Windermere on the Lake enclave of 24 luxury homes and four common buildings may simply add a new thread to the tapestry of this New York City bedroom community, it also takes a revolutionary step in habitat management, natural resource conservation, architectural harmony, and comprehensive housing performance.
“We approached the project from a holistic view, from tree preservation to designing and siting each house for shade, views, exposure to the sun, and their relation to each other and the site’s natural features,” says Robbins. “We developed architecture that works within a larger framework.”
They also created a design, development, and construction program that delivers large, expensive, and well-appointed semi-custom homes that far exceed code minimum for energy savings, easily meet Energy Star standards, and can be slightly upgraded to achieve LEED for Homes certification, which the 7,997-square-foot model home did earlier this year.
Despite that achievement, Robbins prefers to focus on the performance of the entire enclave, gently carved out of a privately owned park.
A request for proposals sent to several leading architects led Robbins to Bartels-Pagliaro Architects in nearby Norwalk and U.K.-based landscape savant Simon Johnson, who together devised a built environment that reflects historic English lake homes in their design and performance and, more importantly, reinforces the project’s extensive Habitat Management Plan.
That plan runs the gamut from installing drought-tolerant plants and removing invasive species to stormwater management, erosion control, and tree preservation. For example, use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers is banned within the enclave, and wooden pallets placed in the parcel’s lake and pond provide breeding grounds for newts and salamanders.
Meanwhile, thousands of wetland plants installed in and along the water provide natural stormwater management and erosion control. Van-sized, underground vortex units and biofilters supplement nature’s way by effectively collecting, cleansing, and discharging stormwater runoff into the water features and open spaces. “We’ve created a comprehensive program that enhances the quality of the lake, pond, and the site to promote habitat and biodiversity,” Robbins says.
And to preserve those efforts, the developer granted 25 acres to the Stamford Land Conservation Trust in addition to 25 contiguous acres earmarked as permanent open space on the property. “You can’t just gift something and walk away,” Robbins says of the trust’s charge to manage the gifted land. “Actively maintaining the Habitat Management Plan is the unique aspect of it.”
To date, Robbins and his development team (including in-house construction managers) have completed three homes. The Cumbria, with its distinctive, sloping gable rooflines and shingle siding, is fully furnished to serve as the model home; it’s also LEED-Certified—having earned extra credits to achieve that rating, given its size—and as such, demonstrates several of the options available to buyers who want a boost to that level from an already impressive baseline.
The standard spec sheet for every home, for instance, includes a zoned, high-efficiency propane heating and cooling system with an energy recovery ventilator attached; insulation levels, including closed-cell foam, that exceed energy-code minimum; low- and no-VOC finishes, including coatings and cabinet frames; fly-ash-content concrete; and high-performance casement and single-hung windows that not only perform thermally but are placed to promote cross-ventilation.
“Our standard construction practices and specifications get about 50 LEED points,” says development manager Matthew Nielsen, or about 80% of the way toward the 63 credits needed to achieve certification per the sliding scale applied to homes of more than 2,500 square feet. “We’ll work with each buyer to figure out what fits his interests and budget to achieve Certification [level] or higher,” he says, among a selection of options that include a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar panels, and rainwater harvesting available for that purpose.
The remaining 21 homes will be sold on a contract basis within a four-house design program that allows buyers a reasonable amount of flexibility in their options and upgrades, including a landmark tower, wine cellar, home theater, and outdoor cooking area within the standard English-garden landscape plan devised for each parcel. Each home’s baseline spec sheet to achieve efficient performance, however, is non-negotiable, which Robbins says also enhances each home’s comfort, livability, and resale value.
On the touchy subject of whether 8,000-square-foot homes can truly be green, the developer points to a market location and likely buyer profile that demand large-scale homes; making them as resource-efficient as possible, he says, was simply part of his overall commitment to an environmental program for the community.
That consciousness and the entire environmental program at Windermere on the Lake, says Robbins, appeals on several levels to well-heeled buyers who have already shown their commitment to green by purchasing luxury hybrid cars.
“They’re not going green to save money, but as a social commitment and for a better living experience,” he says. “We’re demonstrating that delivering sustainable, better-built environments does not compromise aesthetics, finishes, or luxury.”
Rich Binsacca is a freelance writer in Boise, Idaho.
PROFILE: Mark Robbins, President, NRDC residential
Mark Robbins, President of the eco-development, Windemere-on-the-Lake, inside Cumbria, the model home in North Stamford, CT, on Tuesday, November 18, 2008.
Credit: Casey Kelbaugh/WPN
At first glance and by his résumé alone, Mark Robbins may not appear to be a typical environmental advocate. As a developer, he’s suffered the slings and arrows of those who believe the built world leaves too big of a footprint on the natural world.
But Robbins’ words and actions tell a different story, especially with his latest project, Windermere on the Lake. While he’s willing to talk about the eco-features
of the 24 homes planned for the community—one of which (to date) is LEED-Certified and all of which will be built to a high performance standard—he’d much rather discuss the intricacies and benefits of the Habitat Management Plan designed and implemented for the enclave.
“I see my position, from a management perspective, as a steward of the land,” he says. “It’s such a beautiful piece of land. My job was not to mess it up.”
Robbins’ combined development experience and passion for preservation served him well as the project went through a gauntlet of approvals. Despite opposition from neighbors and several high regulatory hurdles, he was able to gain unanimous support from both state and local agencies evaluating the plan.
That commitment, however, does not end when the last house is completed. “You don’t create something like this and gift preserved open space, and then walk away,” he says. “You have to stay and make sure it is protected and managed in perpetuity. Maintaining what we’ve created is the unique aspect of this project.” —R.B.
Cabinets
Custom-made kitchen and bath cabinets and other built-in storage throughout the house, designed and fabricated by Christopher Peacock Cabinetry, features formaldehyde-free birch plywood construction to help address indoor air quality considerations. 617.204.9292. www.peacockcabinetry.com.
Refrigeration
The kitchen’s full-size, side-by-side refrigerator-freezer is supplemented by a set of Energy Star–rated refrigerator drawers finished to match the cabinet fronts, both from Sub-Zero. The 642 (now BI-42S) series side-by-side unit, finished in stainless steel, provides more than 24 cubic feet of total storage capacity, offers a shallow-depth design for easier accessibility, and uses less energy than a 100-watt light bulb, according to the supplier. The 700BR series drawers deliver 5.3 cubic feet of undercounter, pull-out capacity for flexible, point-of-use convenience. 800.222.7820. www.subzero.com.
Dishwasher
Asko’s built-in, Energy Star–rated, full-size dishwasher (model 3232XL) features hidden controls with push-button access to six programs and seven wash temperatures, and a proprietary insulation package for efficient, quiet operation. Dual pumps and motors (compared to one each on most dishwashers) save water and electricity and extend the unit’s life. 800.898.1879. www.askousa.com.
Credit: Kenneth Gabrielsen
Exterior Paint
Moorcraft Super Spec (series 179) from Benjamin Moore is an acrylic-blended, solid-color latex stain with a rustic matte finish for the Durham model’s signature cedar shingle siding. Formulated not to exceed VOC levels of 250 grams per liter, the stain protects and masks the grain of the wood without obscuring its texture, delivers a high level of color retention and fade resistance, and is engineered to resist mildew growth on the stain film. 201.573.9600. www.benjaminmoore.com.
Geothermal HVAC
The Cumbria model home features an optional, direct-expansion, ground-source geothermal heat pump system from Earth to Air, which draws from the Earth’s constant temperature to heat the domestic water, and cool or heat the home’s indoor air through a centralized distribution network. The company reports up to 80% energy savings compared to conventional equipment. The system is designed to operate with R410A refrigerant to supplement the cooling mode. Without an outdoor compressor, the system is quiet and unobtrusive. 615.595.2888. www.earthtoair.com.
Heat Recovery Ventilator
The model P variable-speed HRV from Greentek is included in the baseline performance specs of the home and in an optional upgraded model to help achieve a LEED for Homes rating. The ventilator recovers heat from exhausted indoor air and transfers it to fresh air coming into the house to enhance indoor air quality and reduce heating energy costs. The unit attaches to the air blower and meets ASHRAE minimum continuous flow (CFM) standards. 888.724.5211. www.greentek.ca.
Detail inside the master bedroom of the first LEED-certified luxury home in New England and the first to be completed in the eco-development, Windemere-on-the-Lake in North Stamford, CT, on Tuesday, November 18, 2008.
Credit: Casey Kelbaugh/WPN
Windows
High-performance windows from Marvin meet a complex set of requirements. In addition to adhering to a historic aesthetic, the casement, single-hung, and fixed units also had to meet energy-efficiency standards, facilitate passive heating and ventilation, and capture views to enhance livability and comfort. The windows feature a low-E coating and argon-filled airspace between the two panes of glass, resulting in a U-factor of 0.33 and a climate-appropriate solar-heat gain coefficient for Energy Star and LEED for Homes qualification. The units also contain percentages of recycled wood, glass, and aluminum cladding. 888.537.7828. www.marvin.com.