A week-long planning charrette is being held this month to complete Camana Bay’s master plan.
Andres Duany conducting a charrette. |
The charrette will be led by Andrés Duany, Principal of architects and town planners Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ).
Interested members of the community will be invited to get involved in the planning process, including two sessions open to the general public.
A charrette is an intense, concentrated design workshop frequently used by DPZ in planning traditional neighbourhood developments (TNDs). Architects and designers join forces with engineers, environmental consultants, local public officials and interested citizens in a series of formal and informal meetings. The charrette presents the opportunity for questions and for people to give their immediate feedback. It is thought that by including as many community members as possible in the process, a better product can be arrived at more efficiently.
The charrette at Camana Bay will be held from 9t h to 15t h April. Members of the public are invited to attend the Opening Presentation at 5pm on Wednesday 9t h April and the Closing Presentation at 5pm on Tuesday 15t h April, both of which will be held in the Orchid Ballroom at the Marriott Beach Resort.
The DPZ charrette team will also meet with various stakeholders, from government departments and agencies to local architects and developers to garner their input on the project.
Throughout the charrette, DPZ’s team of designers will respond to the discussion groups by making sketches of elevations and streetscapes and developing the ideas in preparation for the closing session when DPZ will present their proposal for the future development of Camana Bay, including recommendations for the residential villages, and the potential for amenities such as a hotel, marina, beach club, parks, sports facilities and civic buildings.
With the first phase of the Town Centre now open, and with the second phase slated for completion next year, Camana Bay is at a defining moment in its history. A fledgling community is already at work and play in the Town Centre and at the Cayman International School and the time has now come to further define the residential component.
The property initially purchased by Dart Realty in 1995, the 238-acre West Indian Club, has subsequently been extended to include land to the south and Limestone to the north, bringing the total area to over 500 acres and expanding the opportunities for development. In the original master plan conceived by the world-class design team led by Buzz Yudell at Moore Ruble Yudell (MRY) and Denis McGlade at Olin Partnership,
Camana Bay was designed as a series of linked villages stretching from sea to sound with the Town Centre at its heart.
The guiding philosophy behind DPZ’s approach to master planning is New Urbanism, a design concept
DPZ has pioneered for twenty-five years. New Urbanism advocates a mix of residential, commercial and public buildings, created on a human scale to encourage people to walk rather than depend on their cars.
A return to traditional neighbourhood values allows communities to prosper in the 21s t century, as is
evidenced by the success of Seaside, the town in Florida that was DPZ’s first TND, and many others like it.
‘DPZ has unparalleled experience in the design of new towns and communities,’ says Jim Lammers, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Dart Realty, ‘and, very importantly, a track record of having its designs realised on the ground.’ Mr Lammers went on to state, ‘DPZ will build on the Town Centre master plan developed by MRY and Olin, and the result will be a new community that will bring lasting value to the Cayman Islands. The charrette will provide an excellent forum for the exchange of ideas, and we know DPZ’s design will reflect the input it receives during the week-long process.’
DPZ has created plans for over 300 communities around the world, including several in the Caribbean.
For further information about the charrette, or to request a copy of the Camana Bay Times, contact Dart Realty on 345.640.3600 or [email protected].
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