English 3/4-04) Luxurious Community Inspired By Classical Design

Luxurious Community Inspired By Classical Design & Vertical Living

Click to enlarge rendering (left) and photos.

© Copyright Metal Home Digest, March-April 2004

Inspired by the city of Verona, Italy, this luxurious upscale residential community features architectural detailing and a sense of unity.

Located near the Pacific Ocean in Newport Coast, CA, Verona home designs mimic classic Italian and Mediterranean architecture. Developed specifically to function in close relationship with one another, the homes were built with strategically placed steel framing and windows around different public zones, neighborhood pathways and a retail shopping center.

Partnering with Greystone Homes Inc. South Coast Division in Irvine, CA, Thomas P. Cox Architects Inc. (TCA), also in Irvine, achieved the Italian and Mediterranean design for the detached homes through wrought iron detailing, tile roofs and arched entryways. In addition, steel framing was chosen because of Greystone’s ongoing commitment to the material as an affordable, durable alternative to traditional wood framing.

"TCA and Greystone Homes are partnering together because of the countless advantages steel framing can offer a builder, architect and homeowner," said Thomas Cox, senior principal with Thomas P. Cox Architects Inc.

The use of steel framing offered Verona its uniqueness of design. According to Mark Kemmerer, vice president of operations for the South Coast Division of Greystone Homes Inc., Verona is unique for many reasons. "It truly offers maximum living in minimal space, employing a number of innovative design techniques to optimize living areas and uses. Our firm is refining, honing and building on trends we’ve seen emerge over the last few seasons that redefine form and function, and give homeowners unique alternatives like Verona. This refinement of scale and precision in design is revealed through clean-lined formats, minimalist style and open spaces that flow into one another."

Teamwork leads to one-of-a-kind design…

As a result of the partnership between TCA and Greystone, the design goal was effectively met from the initial planning stages to completion. According to Daniel Gehman, associate partner/studio director with Thomas P. Cox Architects Inc., the ultimate design goal was to create a highly desirable enclave for comfortable living in a community, in which the overall project was not overwhelmed by the sum of its smaller components.

Gehman added, "In general, the design process was a very collaborative process with the architects taking leadership, but accepting substantial direction and input from not only the builder/developer, but from the land seller (The Irvine Co., Irvine) as well."

The Irvine Co. built the nearby retail center as part of the Newport Coast master plan. The retail center preceded the homes slightly, but both properties were planned simultaneously. According to Gehman, the relationship between the two properties was explored extensively throughout the design process. The retail center was near completion when construction on the homes was started and caused no issues or problems to the construction.

"In many ways, the row of houses adjacent to the shopping center works as something of a stage set—creating a wonderful scene on the horizon for people visiting the center. We always anticipated Veronians being able to walk to the store or coffee shop on a regular basis," commented Gehman.

"The proximity to the retail center creates a unique focal point that draws all of Verona’s pedestrian paths together and connects the enclave to the center’s variety of outstanding neighborhood stores such as Trader Joes, Z Pizza, Banana Republic, Williams Sonoma and Starbucks," said Cox.

The Irvine Co. had a relatively well-defined expectation for the architecture, and Greystone knew the parameters of what was to be built, so the design team worked within a preferred vernacular. At every stage of the design process, all parties reviewed the community.

California atmosphere embraces vertical living…

Basing the home developments on these restrictions, Greystone also focused on the environment of surrounding Orange County. Greystone wished to create a community of single-family homes at very high-density for detached buildings.

"The Newport Ridge neighborhood in general has been developed with a Mediterranean flavor. Because of the density of this community, the expressiveness of the detailing was definitely approached with restraint to achieve a pleasing whole without being ‘busy’. Certainly the design fits well within the venerable Orange County idiom of Mediterranean design, but favors a more restrained use of the architectural language," said Gehman.

Another design element unique to the project that contributes to the overall atmosphere is the term "vertical living". According to Gehman, vertical living fundamentally assumes that the homeowners trade off private terraces located higher up in the building. It is really like an urban living condition. All of the homes incorporate vertical living with the exception of the two-story homes.

"The two-story homes are more conventional, with enclosed patios at the ground level. However, all the spaces between the buildings, which consist of public, semi-public and semi-private zones, are all treated with the utmost care to be assets to the community," commented Gehman.

Cox added, "Compact floor plans embrace vertical living, offering two and three stories. The main outdoor living spaces are raised above grade, creating entertainment terraces. Each one offers a distinctive look and represents excellent examples of ways to integrate the indoors and outdoors."

Outdoors reflects ambiance…

The outdoor spaces of Verona further enhance the Italian and Mediterranean feel, as well as urban and vertical living. In order to achieve maximum density within minimum space, the project’s ground plane required tremendous design efficiency with homes drawn into a cluster so driveways can be jointly used.

The space between the buildings is shared by the whole community, requiring special design approaches and treatments. The homes are arranged around a green courtyard with a perimeter consisting of sidewalks instead of parking spaces. Much of the outdoor space is public such as the auto courts and pedestrian pathways. Even the porches and patios are semi-public. The homes’ front doors themselves are located on pedestrian paths, which meander through the community.

"This design concept is gaining in popularity in California, not to mention it is a great way to more effectively utilize space," said Kemmerer.

The comfortable and memorable ambiance is achieved through lush landscaping, site furnishings and the careful framing of views and vistas. According to Kemmerer, sharing outdoor spaces not only optimizes use of precious space, but also establishes a sense of community and camaraderie that were so important to achieving the project’s design goals.

Open areas create coziness…

In addition to the effective utilization of outdoor spaces, Verona floor plans optimize interior space with well-planned architectural detailing and natural lighting. With three distinctive floor plans and four stylish elevations, Verona floor plans range from 1,788 sq. ft. to 2,105 sq. ft. with two and three bedrooms and up to three full baths.

Plan One (Montague) is laid out to feel like a loft. It can be customized with a single bedroom at grade, living room on the second floor and a master suite on the third level. According to Gehman, Montague is well-suited for a "childless-by-choice" or empty-nester" couple that occasionally entertain guests.

Just like Montague, Plan Two (Capulet) is designed to function almost like a detached townhome, with useable rooms on every level. Capulet has an open living area accented by a second floor entertaining terrace on the corner of the home. Plan Three (Mercutio) is the most conventional of the floor plans with a two-story structure.

All three floor plans utilize a very efficient approach to planning and lots of natural light that contribute to the distinctive nature of these homes. The placement of windows was vital to the design of Verona. Many windows were placed based on the exterior composition on the building facades—on all four sides. Nevertheless, every location was also weighed for its potential to strategically place light in the interiors. Of course with the close proximity of the homes, privacy was a concern when choosing the design.

"In a cozy community like Verona, there are times when the same window solution won’t work on every site—for example, a small window sometimes becomes a sliding glass door—depending on who’s adjacent. Naturally, difficult adjacencies like kitchen to master bath were studiously avoided," said Gehman.

There were three overall color schemes in the community to complement the three Verona home plans. Greystone worked with Peggy Rhoads, a colorist, to get the perfect shades. One of the models was originally painted with the wrong color, causing a lot of shock when the designers first saw the outcome. It was then quickly corrected. The colors were chosen to complement the architecture. As with the general building detailing, the schemes were deliberately kept simple—with a monolithic body color and a single trim tone, with highlights at front doors. Therefore, the overall community worked well together, without a lot of internal competition.

Steel framing leads to many benefits…

These Italian and Mediterranean design elements, both interior and exterior, would not be possible without the use of an exceptional building material. Thus, Greystone chose steel framing to meet its own requirements as well as those of TCA and The Irving Co.

According to Greystone, it is always looking for new and innovative ways to enhance the construction process while increasing quality. So, with the onset of new and advanced technologies in the field of steel panelization, Greystone has been able to pass on these new technologies to customers. Also, steel panelization construction offers reduction of cost with improvement of quality, and offers communities that are cleaner while under construction and the reduction of building times.

"Steel framing has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any building material. Steel is the most recycled material in the world and doesn’t rot, warp, split or crack," said Cox. The most important advantage that both builder and architect agreed on was steel’s resistance to expansion or contraction due to moisture content. By not being vulnerable to fungi or organisms—which is one of the biggest concerns of homebuilders and buyers—steel helps reduce the chances of mold infestation. It’s all about limiting liability. Walls, windows and water are huge issues and steel helps to minimize some of these issues.

Verona benefited from the utilization of steel with panelized construction. The panelized construction of the steel stud walls made it possible to mock up entire floors of units and make small design changes prior to the final fabrication run for the project. Gehman stated, "This was an extraordinary opportunity to catch those little things on a job walk that make a big difference in the final product."

In addition, the steel panelization benefited the environment with very little steel waste and the remainder being recycled. According to Greystone, approximately 60% of the steel used in steel panelization comes from recycled products, which is a benefit to the environment.

"Steel is lighter, and therefore easier to transport, which translates into lower energy costs for transportation in the long run. Also, it is easier to be recycled at the end of the project, and, of course, does not provide a comfortable environment for the growth of mold and bacteria (like wood may), which is good for interior air quality ultimately," said Gehman.

Steel frames going up straight added to the recyclable and transportation benefits for Nicholas Lane Contractors Inc. of Anaheim, CA—the framing installer for the Verona project. There were occasional small issues in which wood pieces had to be used to create the intended architectural details. However, the materials hybrid well. According to Gehman, in many ways, steel framing creates unintended benefits by going up straight and true.

These benefits of steel framing are evidenced in other projects of TCA and Greystone. TCA has designed apartments in an adaptive re-use office tower in downtown Los Angeles, CA, the Subway Terminal Building, which is soon to begin construction. In this case, the steel was required because of type I construction.

Verona is the third community Greystone has built in steel. Camrosa is a steel-framed detached community ranging from 2,400 sq. ft. to 2,800 sq. ft. that offered steel framing in the final phase and build-out phase. San Juan Bautista in Northpark Square, Irvine, is a steel-framed attached tri-plex community ranging from 1,367 sq. ft. to 1,876 sq. ft.

Verona not only is unique from other steel-framed projects, but also stands out in Newport Coast with very few communities constructed of steel in the area. It captures the essence of luxurious, vertical living with teamwork and intricate design.

© Copyright Metal Home Digest, March-April 2004

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