This is Living:
Green infrastructure and design mean more quality (and quantity) of life for Blatchford residents
The term “urban design” may not immediately inspire thoughts of vibrant, vivacious green spaces teeming with life—In Blatchford, though, efforts to breathe life into every aspect of the neighborhood breaks the mold of what was once assumed possible for city living.
It is truly difficult to fully appreciate the expansive amount of consideration that Blatchford’s designers have put into breathing life into every context of the neighborhood.
For instance, all of Mutti’s Blatchford homes are up to 37% more energy-efficient than required by code. They are all well-insulated and feature high-performance windows, smart room thermostats, and energy- and water-efficient appliances.
The airtight building envelope separating the inside from the out both reduces heat loss and promotes better air-quality. More than this, our construction practices reduce waste materials and air pollutants (which might otherwise remain in a finished building).
Stepping outside, residents need never wander far to get whatever they need; shopping, dining, play, learning, and recreation amenities are already under construction, and the Metro Line LRT will soon connect residents with the rest of the city within minutes.
Even in the coldest months, Blatchford residents will be hard-pressed to stay indoors, with toboggan hills, skating, walking paths, and cross-country ski trails dotting and criss-crossing the nearby landscape.
All this is covers only a fraction of over 80 acres of green spaces (more than double the amount typical of most Canadian communities), all designed to create an impressive variety of microhabitats from open meadows to wetlands for a diverse range of life forms.
Rain gardens and stormwater ponds recapture water runoff, and large cisterns will house ample water for the neighborhood’s many community gardens. The stormwater ponds will feature both urban edges (for residents to be near the water) and more natural spaces, providing versatile options for outdoor recreation.
It is said there is no better designer than nature itself. But Mutti Homes and our partners in the Blatchford community are doing our best to compete.