The Give and Take of a Charrette

After sending out numerous invitations and publicizing the meeting times, the charrette began. We were extremely pleased with the turn-out. New urbanism was a new concept to many people in this area. Haile Village Center is a nice example of traditional neighborhood design for a village, but Brytan is larger and it to be designed as a town. The difference involves providing more of the daily needs within the town boundaries. The charrette opened with a presentation by Duany where he explained many of the concepts of new urbanism. He explained the importance of pulling the buildings up to the streets, of creating vistas at the end of the streets, of on-street parking to provide a barrier between the pedestrians on the sidewalk and the vehicles on the street. Traffic calming is an important element in creating a truly walkable community. It is interesting to note that people are in favor of slowing down the traffic in a general sense but they don’t like to be slowed down in their daily commute.

The individual meetings took place with discussions of building placement and the role of neighborhood parks. Other topics included architecture and the importance of having homes that have “eyes on the street”; so many homes are designed today where once a person enters the home, he has no connection to the neighborhood until he leaves the next day. Wide front porches and windows help create a connection that serves an important role in establishing community. However, once the connection is made to the neighborhood, you have to still find a way to protect the private realm for the homeowner. Elevating the house so that windows are not at eye-level help provide privacy from the street. Also, the role of interior courtyards helps promote an outdoor private realm that homeowners can enjoy without the hassles or expense of large yards. With the increasing importance of water conservation, smaller yards are an important asset to the home. People need to be able to enjoy the outdoors so the location of recreational elements was an important feature of the overall design of the community.

Opinions were shared and designs were modified. Each day, the design would be “posted” on boards that people could stop by, review and comment. We were surprised at the number of people that truly followed this process and took the time to try and understand why a building was faced in a particular way. The design of Brytan was to be open and inviting to its neighbors, not a fenced or walled off subdivision that is frequently built. It was interesting to see how some of the neighbors wanted to be able to visit Brytan and interact with the community but others wanted to have Brytan separated and completely unconnected from their land. Through the give-and-take of the charrette process, a compromise of sorts was reached. Brytan has been designed so that future connections could be established if those neighboring groups so decided.

After a week of intensive meetings and design work, two plans emerged from the charrette. Duany wanted to tweak both plans for a bit and then allow a determination as to which one best met the overall objectives.

Remember, at this time, the regulations of our County did not allow mixing uses vertically nor were TNDs encouraged.

Price versus Value

As an architect, I have never understood the market's fascination with “price per square foot.” When you purchased your last car, did you ask the dealer the price per cubic foot of space in the passenger compartment? I don't think that anyone would argue that there are huge differences between owning a Porsche, a Mercedes, a Ford, or Toyota. No doubt, you could add optional leather seats to any of these; but it would not change the fundamentals of the car. People make their choice of vehicle not based on the price of the air space but on whether or not it fits their needs. Price is obviously one of the factors to consider; but so is fuel efficiency, style, reliability, durability, and design. For most people, having a cup holder in the right place or a spot to put their iPod is much more useful than another cubic foot of air with nowhere to put your coffee cup.

What figures into the “price per square foot” ?

The price per square foot of any given new building is the sum total of all of the creative energy, efforts, labor and materials that it takes to deliver that structure in that location. So, it is affected by a lot more factors than just the floor finish or the wall type. It includes the costs associated with the quality of the whole development as well as those associated with the design and construction of the house. Additionally, “price per square foot” only counts the conditioned area of the building in its calculation; it does not take into account any of the covered porch areas, courtyard spaces, patios, decks, storage or garage areas. So, a house with 1500 square feet of interior space and 1000 square feet of covered porch would have a much high price per square foot than the same house with no porch.

So what is different in a square foot of a Brytan house?

Every home in Brytan is influenced by the sum total of efforts made by the Developer, the Designers, the Green Consultants, and the Builders. These things have come together to make the quality of the neighborhood extraordinarily high. That quality, care, and knowledge comes with the Brytan home. Some specifics:

Brytan was master planned by a world renown New Urbanist firm, Duany Plater-Zyberk, to be a complete community, not just a sub-division.

Brytan's homes were custom designed by a licensed architect. The styles are Craftsman- inspired and are detailed to a high level of authenticity. The homeowner has access to the Town Architect (that would be me) as a resource to answer questions about their homes, design, construction and vision for other phases of the neighborhood.

Brtyan has a neighborhood Green Consultant, Mary Alford, P.E., a licensed Environmental Engineer. She guides the LEED for Homes (including Energy Star) process in Brytan. She has inspected every home multiple times, from plans to construction, to ensure that the prescribed sustainability elements were implemented. The homeowner also has access to Mary should they have any questions regarding the various green certification that each home has achieved.

Each completed home has achieved LEED certification and is registered with the National Green Building Council and comes with an Owner's Handbook with all the information about the materials in the home.

There is a great deal of individuality to these homes; but each includes high-quality, traditional double-hung windows, low VOC content and high indoor air quality, carefully designed HVAC systems, water saving measures, low-maintenance landscaping, structured wiring and fiber optics with free internet service, built-in work stations and an electronics docking station so there is a place for your laptop, cell phone, and even your iPod.

The Process begins…

We selected our town planner and now it was time for the charrette. Right? Wrong!! Now it was time to prepare for the charrette. Having never been through this process, I was completely unaware of the amount of pre-charrette planning that was required. Needless to say, it was an experience.

First, Duany worked with us to assemble the “Brytan Design Team.” This group of professionals consisted of his team from DPZ plus civil engineers, retail consultant, a residential consultant as well as local engineers, architects, surveyors and land planners. The qualifications of the local team members had to be acceptable to and approved by Duany. Bob Gibbs of Gibbs Planning Group and Todd Zimmerman of Zimmerman/Volk worked on our retail analysis and residential analysis, respectively. These men were wonderful to work with and their contribution was invaluable.

Once the Design Team was set, then our company had to gather information and materials regarding the site to allow the Design Team to prepare for the charrette. This is information that one often gets but we had never gathered all of it so early in the process. The information that we needed for the charrette included surveys, topography maps, tree surveys, floodplain information, wetland delineations, aerial photographs, soil reports, local codes and regulations and USGS maps (specifically the site and the 8 surrounding quadrants so 9 maps in total). Additionally, a place to hold the weeklong charrette had to be reserved. This place needed to include a room large enough to hold the opening and closing presentations. Fortunately, a nearby hotel and conference center was able to accommodate all of the workshop requirements. Individual meetings with neighbors, government officials, realtors, builders and other interested parties were scheduled and invitations were sent as well as notices published in the local paper. We originally had the daily work area set apart from the individual meeting areas but we learned that is not the proper way to handle the charrette process. DPZ indicated that it was extremely important for the Design Team to work in the same room where the various meetings would be held. The drafters wanted to be able to listen to the conversations, suggestions, criticisms and feedback directly from the participants. As the week progressed, it became apparent why this arrangement is so helpful to the entire charrette process.

At this point, we have the team, we have the location and now we needed the supplies. Besides a detailed list of required food for meals and snacks, there had to be an architectural supply store nearby as well as a federal express or postal service, copy center and slide processing facility. Equipment required included a specific laser jet printer, fax machine, two telephone lines, copy machine, two slide projectors, a small refrigerator, padded chairs, 3’ X 6’ banquet style tables, large trash cans and bags, twenty illustration boards, six foam-core boards, architect trace paper rolls and lots of paper.

Our office staff did a great job of organizing and working with area vendors to get all the required items. Before we knew it, we had everything and it was time for the charrette!

Next: The Charrette Begins…or does it?

One of These Things is Not Like the Other....

A reader commented on a previous blog entry:

I have driven by this Subdivision several times and the homes look like any other homes in Gainesville. What is the difference between these homes and the other Subdivisions surrounding it? Is the difference inside the walls?

Then, later, she asked:

After driving by this subdivision several times, what is the deal with your signs up front? First LEED Community in Alachua? can you explain what this means to me as a consumer?

These are great questions.....

First of all, I am going to disagree. I don't think these homes look like any other home in Gainesville - they are like homes you may find in some of the other New Urbanist developments, but they are not what you find in a typical subdivision. Obvious differences include the height off the ground (provides privacy in houses that are close to the street), higher end windows that have depth and add contour to the house (rather than the flat windows you typically see), high level design with attention to proportion and scale (these houses were designed by an architect, not a builder, with an eye towards the entire picture of the neighbhorhood and how the houses fit together), classic design details versus trendy home finishes, lack of garages on the front (garages are located off the alley behind the house), and a neighborhood planned to fit into the urban community.

Secondly, I will agree that yes, there are many differences behind the walls. The houses were planned for efficient use of wood and other materials to reduce waste -- walls use "pre-cut" lengths of wood, as well as full sheets of OSB siding materials. This not only saves money during construction, but prevents our landfills from filling up with needless waste -- did you know that 10% of the material ordered to build a house is wasted? That is a lot of garbage in our landfills, a lot of needless transportation costs, and a lot of expense in our pockets. The houses were carefully insulated and sealed -- insulation was inspected by a third party energy consulant to make sure that nothing was missed (such as behind the bathtub) and that the insulation met not just Energy Star, but the highest Energy Star standards. All houses are also prewired to be a "Smart House" and fiber optic cable is run to each house, giving these houses some of the fastest internet speeds in the country. Why is that environmental you may ask? If you can stay home and work effectively, then that is one less car on the road. Other items that are included in some of the houses include insulated hot water pipes, built in vacuums, and products treated with non-toxic chemicals to resist pests and fire.

Finally, LEED certification - what is that? The US Green Building Council, which manages the LEED programs states:

LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.

There are other green building programs out there -- the better known ones in this area include programs by the Florida Green Building Coalition and the National Association of Home Builders. LEED stands out as the program that these newer programs are measured against. The USGBC, through the LEED program, not only certifies homes through the LEED for Homes program but they certify commercial and office buildings, hospitals, schools and government buildings. And, if you did not know already, the University of Florida requires all of it's buildings to be LEED certified. There is an up front cost to this certification, but there are lasting savings in energy, health care, quality of life and carbon footprint cost.

So what do those signs mean to a buyer? It means the this developer and these builders picked the most stringent and most carefully documented green program available. It means that they followed the rules, tracked the materials and waste, carefully chose their materials and paid for third party certification. It means that not just a builder built your house, but an architect, a green consultant, an engineer, a landscape architect, and an energy expert. And that benefits you because you, as a homeowner, would have a copy of all of this documentation, all of the warranties and information, and access to these experts if you have questions. What does this sign mean? It means that the builder did a "good job" -- and you do not have to take their word for it. They can prove it.

Real Estate in Gainesville

The phones are starting to ring and Spring is quickly approaching……..it's a great time to buy!
I’m excited to be working with a couple of new clients with their home purchases. I would always recommend working with a REALTOR. The dedication and ethics they follow are excellent qualities to assist any potential buyers and sellers.
At Kanapaha Realty , a locally owned, family business, we are proud of our continued and personalized service to all Gainesville and surrounding area residents- past present and future. Whether you are looking for a home in Brytan or anywhere else, we are here for all your real estate needs, and making your dreams a reality.

Confessions of a TND Founder

First of all, let me introduce myself, my name is Alison Cox and I along with David Miller and Sara Summerfield represent the Founder of Brytan. The Founder is Brice Development and the three people primarily responsible for the development will be providing some insight into why we developed this project the way that we did and share some of the experiences that we have had along the way.

Let's start with a bit of history. The site, located along Archer Road, has long been the target of large box retailers and other commercial enterprises. As a company, we had developed many traditional neighborhoods with homes on large lots but this location seemed to need something different. The site is in an area defined as an Activity Center and we had always been told that when it was developed, the road would need to "re-connect" with 75th Street on the south side of Archer Road. Many presentations and ideas were presented but none seemed to be right.

One day in 1998, a planner asked David and I to attend a presentation and conference featuring Andres Duany of DPZ & Company, a renowned town planner. We went to Reston, Virginia and toured Kentlands (a large TND/new urbanist project). At the conference we heard from other founders, lenders, engineers and architects. We came back thinking that the idea of a new urbanist project may be just the answer for the development of this property. Duany was familiar with Haile Village Center and we invited him to visit the site the next time he was in the area.

Duany visited Gainesville and walked the site. Like any site, it had challenges but overall he thought the location in an Activity Center along a major arterial road was a real plus. Duany laid out several of the positives and negatives and indicated he would be willing to send us a proposal.

My thoughts at this point were mixed. It seemed like we had the right development for the location but the current rules and regulations did not allow for the mixing of uses, especially vertically; residential above commercial was a no-no. Should we invest in designing a project that may never be allowed or should we just allow the big box retailer to develop the site as the rules currently allowed? We finally decided to get several proposals from reputable and noted firms. We realized that this was a large project, the largest we had ever undertaken and that it would require extensive assistance from experts. We interviewed several different firms and it was an impressive experience to talk with these people. Each firm had certain strengths but the one common thread was their enthusiasm for this type of development.

Then we got the proposals. Wow. This was far different than anything we had ever seen. We really had to think through what we would be getting for the dollars spent because it was a lot of dollars for design work. Also, we still did not have the rules to allow the development so this was an investment based on hopes for change. Once we recovered from the initial shock, we tried to analyze each proposal. David and I started the adventure with Duany and I think we developed a rapport that made him the person that we wanted to work with. If you know Duany, you know that he will give you his most honest assessment and, quite frankly, we needed that feedback. We looked at the pros-- a great design in the right location and encouraging lifestyle choices that were gaining in popularity (e.g., walkability)-- and at the cons-- no regulations permitting such design and a huge front end investment. Finally, we looked at the local governing body. The commission at the time was certainly promoting TND type developments. So, we decided to make the investment.

Next: The process begins...

The Basics of New Urbanism

New Urbanism is a design movement that focuses on the planning and creation of walkable, sustainable communities. "Community," in this sense, includes all the elements needed to make up a vibrant, thriving, urban neighborhood: diverse housing options, services, offices, shops, restaurants, and civic and recreational opportunities.

Brytan is a Master Planned Community that embraces these principals. Homes range from modern studio apartments in the heart of the urban center to single family detached homes well suited for growing families. Unlike conventional subdivisions where the homogeneous housing stock is only suited to one stage of your life, Brytan allows you choices to suite your needs throughout your life: You may grow up in a single family home, live in an apartment as a student or young professional, buy a starter home, expand to a larger home, or down-size to a townhouse and never have to give up the neighbors and amenities that have become part of your life.

Within walking distance of all the homes, there is a town center where you can meet with friends and neighbors, shop, dine, find services and entertainment, and employment opportunities - less driving for those with cars, more independence for those without.

By densifying and mixing uses, New Urbanist neighborhoods are able to use less land, less infrastructure, and less resources per person which reduces waste and pollution and preserves more green space for everyone to enjoy. All of these factors combine to make New Urbanist neighborhoods like Brytan strong, sustainable communities with lasting value for generations to come.

To learn more, visit the website for the Congress for the New Urbanism: www.cnu.org