Tired of having to choose between turning your spare room into a yoga studio or home office? Rob Brennan thinks you should have both.
Brennan, CEO and President of CapeBuilt Development, has begun development on a new community of homes that adapt to the lives of residents. From “aging in place” designs that give retired folks their forever home, to “flex rooms” that have the capability to change on a weekly basis, Lagoon Ridge aims to innovate.
COMMUNITY, CONNECTIVITY, CAPEBUILT
Lagoon Ridge is a 32-acre land split into three distinct neighborhoods, and is soon to be home to a variety of residents. Thirteen homes comprise the first neighborhood, while four designer residences and four estate properties are expected to be released by 2023.
Brennan, who grew up in the squarely designed town of Somerville, Mass., was inspired by the architecture and community of the city. It’s in his DNA, as he puts it. He wanted to bring that sense of connectivity to Martha’s Vineyard.
Included within the properties are options for living accommodations, something that is especially important to the older (55+) generation. One complex is devoted to such requirements.
Wellness is at the forefront of CapeBuilt’s mind, especially in regards to older residents. Technological implementations such as LED pathways that light a pathway to the bathroom in the middle of the night, medication weight sensors, or blood oxygen level meters, are all built into the home.
Fiber-optic connections are considered for every room, allowing seamless connectivity between the resident and their devices. The project also involves creating designated spaces for telehealth visits—something that has become somewhat of a necessity due to the pandemic—in their use of “flex rooms.”
A ROOM BUILT TO LAST: FROM ZOOM ROOM TO ART STUDIO
Privacy in the home is important to those who work remotely, or even spend most of their day indoors. However, it may always be easy to have accommodations for privacy with a limited number of rooms. Brennan wants to change that.
Lagoon Ridge’s “flex rooms” are designed to change. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, residents are able to use the space in whatever way they’d like.
Someone who works from home, or spends time on conference calls, might opt to use the room as a “Zoom station” during the week, and a studio on the weekend. Ample natural light is given to these spaces to allow for general wellness and mental health as well.
An older resident could designate their flex room as a telehealth station during the times they need, then change it into a lounge or den. Additionally, seamless technological integrations could allow for a resident to use their kitchen island as a secondary desk during a lunch meeting, for example. Brennan aims for this to be done without sacrificing connectivity or aesthetics.
PROVING GROUND FOR LIVING IN LONGEVITY
The CapeBuilt development team has also worked with MIT for this project to assure proper integrations are met. They aim to pull together best practices and features for longevity and wellness—something Brennan believes is the next big technology push for homeowners.
With these innovations in mind, residents may just find their forever home in Lagoon Ridge. A sense of community is not only important for older residents, but for many people since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brennan also nodded to his first project, Heritage Sands, which forged community connections among the residents. The project was named “Community of the Year” by NAHB in 2017. Lagoon Ridge takes inspiration from this achievement, and hopes to develop a community just as close in the coming years.
For more on CapeBuilt, you can visit their website. For more on wellness and tech innovations, read it here on Utopia.
