Your Community: Laureate Park Promises to be One of the Greenest, Healthiest Communities in the U.S.
When completed, Laureate Park will be a 2,700-unit community located next to Medical City and offers environmentally-friendly homes designed by K. Hovnanian Homes, Ashton Woods Homes and David Weekly Homes. Photo courtesy of Lake Nona.
Lake Nona is known for its emphasis on health, so it’s no surprise that its new Laureate Park community has been labeled one of the greenest, healthiest communities in the U.S. The 2,700-unit community is located next to Medical City and offers environmentally-friendly homes designed by K. Hovnanian Homes, Ashton Woods Homes and David Weekly Homes priced from the low $200’s to the $400’s.
So far, Laureate Park has earned an “ENERGY STAR” by meeting the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program standards for home construction. And Masco, a company that manufactures and distributes home building and improvement products, has bestowed Laureate Park with a “Certified Green” designation through its Environments for Living program. In order to receive this certification, the homes must be more energy efficient than the typical dwelling.
“The house has to perform 20 percent better, use 20 percent less water and energy,” says Rob Adams, vice president of Lake Nona.
All of the energy-efficient homes have unique layouts and are equipped with GE products, including the GE Nucleus. According to Adams, the Nucleus is an energy management system that measures energy usage in real time. Through the world of modern technology, home owners can monitor their energy usage through their iPads and iPhones.
“I like that the homes are set up for an electric car; the plugs are right in the garage,” says Robin Wilson, an eco-friendly interior designer who created the color palette for all of the homes. “It’s set for you to be eco-friendly from the beginning. That shows commitment to the future.”
Wilson has created 22 color palettes that homeowners can choose from, so no two homes will look exactly the same. The paints used for the homes are low-VOC paints, meaning the paints are self-sealing and, therefore, much less toxic.
“It’s not boring; it’s a community geared toward attracting those who want all of their senses to be teased,” says Wilson. “It’s an amazing situation that will lend itself to knowing who their neighbors are. This is a community where people are going to live, work and play.”
Article by Marisa Ramiccio
