Located along Florida’s Northeastern coastline, the new town of Marineland is to be established with the intent of creating Florida’s first environmentally master planned town. Taking its name from a nearby marine mammal park, the first in Florida of its kind, the town hopes to make habitat preservation a priority, and allow its residents to enjoy their proximity to the beautiful Florida landscape, while protecting these valuable resources at the same time.
In its design of prototype home for the new town, Tulou Studio, has incorporated a number of environmental design strategies which are inspired by traditional Floridian and Tropical architecture. The home takes particular advantage of the intense Florida sun, reducing the use of electrical lighting by allowing maximum daylight in, while preventing the entry of direct radiation through deep overhangs and operable louvers at openings. Advantage is also taken of natural ventilation opportunities, making use of favorable coastal winds to reduce the load on HVAC equipment during the temperate fall, winter, and spring months. Use of native-only landscaping and a chemical-free eco-pool in the garden areas provide a space for residents to enjoy the local climate without creating gaps in the local landscape ecology. Along with the use of local, rapidly-renewable, and reclaimed materials, the result is an innovative architectural aesthetic that is familiar within the Florida landscape.