Community planned by Tabb draws raves in design magazine

Serenbe, an environmentally friendly residential development an hour’s drive from Atlanta designed by Phillip Tabb, professor of architecture at Texas A&M, was lauded by Architectural Record magazine as a development that “weaves together high-density residences with walkability, sustainability, and a self-sufficient mix of agriculture and local businesses.”

Tabb created the master plan for the project to include four horseshoe-shaped hamlets, connected by trails and roads, that are dependent on each other for services, wrote Johanna Lenander in an [article] (http://archrecord.construction.com/news/2011/06/110608-serenbe-community.asp) posted June 8, 2011.

“One village, for instance, has a concentration of arts and hospitality offerings, while another is centered around agriculture and a third around health (the plan for the fourth hamlet hasn’t been finalized),” wrote Lenander.

The community has grown to include 260 residents, a bakery, three high-end restaurants, a weekly farmer’s market, several shops and galleries, and a 19-room inn.

Lew Oliver, an Atlanta-based architect who has designed many of Serenbe’s dwellings, said that the development could be a harbinger.

“In this age of uncertainty, we need to build new communities, but we’re not sure of how to do it yet, so we need to be experimental,” he says. “We really think that this is where the future is,” he said.

Lenander’s article, “Serenbe Community in Georgia Offers Alternative to Suburban Sprawl,” is available on the Architectural Record [website] (http://archrecord.construction.com/news/2011/06/110608-serenbe-community.asp) .