Practice Management

The word is Japanese for dragonfly.  It is the "altruistic King of the insect world, and a bold and beautiful creature".

Alright, that might be a bit of hype, but Tonbo Meadow is a new earth-friendly community to be located in Wilmington, North Carolina.  It is a low impact development of only 3 acres and 10 homes.  By low impact I mean a green community that is dedicated to conservation in site planning, water, energy, indoor air quality and materials.  It involves the careful use of land and the thoughtful design of buildings in the most efficient way possible.

This small community will contain a one-acre preserved meadow, community recycling, composting, community gardens, drought tolerant landscaping, rainwater reclamation, rain gardens, stormwater wetland and tree protection.

Much of the design appears to be Asian inspired.  Simple lines and good use of a small space.

Tonbo represents the idea that green homes are built on a smaller scale.  The homes will range from 2,000 to 3,000 square feet.  The homes will be crafted to the unique elements of the various house-lots.

All of the homes will incorporate sustainable materials, such as certified sustainable wood floors, cement board and metal siding, high performance windows and doors with UV glazes, spray-in Icynene insulation, "green" countertops, Energy Star appliances, low-VOC paints, stains and finishes, low-flow plumbing fixtures, high tech electronic energy / light monitoring systems, and storm water cisterns and reclamation features.  Optional features include solar thermal systems, PV solar panels, geothermal, and radiant systems.

With my new taste, I think even these houses might be a little big for me, but it is a good start.  Add to this a Universal Design that is barrier-free, accessible design and involves assistive technology; and throw in big pipes in the way of broadband and flexible home office space, and you have the most pleasant of communities.

I would die for, I think, a concept like Tonbo in the Houston area that is small, green, universal design, and which was specially designed and marketed to the work at home crowd.

We can dream, can we not?