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Sustainable Communities on Design Institute Tour
Two award-winning communities in the Seattle area that are noted for promoting good urban design, lessening their impact on surrounding neighborhoods and protecting sensitive areas will be on tour during the NAHB/BALA Design Institute for Builders from June 25 to 27 in Bellevue, Wash., near Seattle.
The Design Institute is the only design conference specifically for building industry professionals.
The two communities to be toured are Issaquah Highlands, the best selling new-home community in the Northwest, and High Point, a newly-transformed and sustainable community in West Seattle that was originally built to provide temporary housing for defense-industry workers during World War II.
The community tours will be held Tuesday, June 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Communities on Tour
- High Point — The 130-acre High Point community was planned with input from thousands of citizens, city leaders and countless community groups, as well as existing High Point residents.
The community goal was to meld the former High Point neighborhood of “temporary” homes that through the years became home to low-income residents back into the fabric of West Seattle. High Point is being developed as a sustainable, high quality and healthy residential environment offering a range of housing types for residents of all income levels.
When completed, High Point will have parks, trails, open space, an elementary school, community center, commercial areas and a pond to serve as a natural drainage area and filter rainwater. The community’s drainage will also mimic the drainage qualities of open meadows.
The new homes at High Point are being constructed to Built Green™ three-star standards and include the recycling of previous community’s old-growth lumber.
High Point is the winner of the American Institute of Architects’ Show Your Green and Gold Nugget Design awards. The tour will include visits to model homes by The Dwelling Company, Polygon Northwest, Devlin Company, Lyle Homes and Saltaire Homes.
- Issaquah Highlands — Issaquah Highlands in Issaquah, Wash. is being built using NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines.
The urban village includes a variety of product types for a range of income levels — from rental, market rate and affordable single-family and multifamily homes to multi-million dollar customs on half-acre lots with sweeping views or two-acre lots that offers privacy.
Issaquah Highlands in the eastern suburbs of Seattle was named one of the 10 best communities to live in by Seattle Metropolitan magazine and has been a Gold Nugget Award for its innovative design of a sustainable Built Green home, a Silver Award for Master Planned Community of the Year by NAHB and two Green Globes by the Green Building Initiative.
Most recently the community was recognized as Best Sustainable Community and Best Master Planned Community by the Pacific Coast Builders Conference.
The NAHB/BALA Design Institute for Builders also feature features workshops and discussion about residential housing design trends from the industry's top professionals, an interactive design charette and more.
To Register
For more information or to register, visit www.nahb.org/designinstitute. Online registration ends Friday, June 8.
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