We look at some of the green options available overseas, including apartments in France built with sustainable Romanian wood.
Castelclarens in the village of Casteljaloux
Castelclarens is a new development near Bordeaux, France.
These well proportioned apartments of between 25 and 65 sq metres are in a superb location, on a lakeside and surrounded by a pine forest. They are also just an hour from Bordeaux and easy distance of Toulouse.
This is a low density development with underground parking facilities (one space per apartment) with buggies to carry people around the residence. Ground floor apartments will have private gardens. Upper levels, maximum three storeys, will have balconies. There are two private pools, one indoor and one outdoor.
Other facilities will be a sauna and a jacuzzi. The whole complex is being designed on a “water” theme behind electronic gates for additional exclusivity.
To ensure they are eco-friendly the apartments are partly constructed from sustainable Romanian wood.
Prices range from 70,000 euros/£49,081 for a 25 sq metres apartment to 180,000 euros/£126,209 for a 65 sq metre apartment.
Olive Tree International Property Limited www.olivetreeworld.com
Domaine du Bois des Harcholins, La Moselle, northeast France
Le Domaine du Bois des Harcholins is an environmentally sustainable sports and leisure development. It is due to be completed from the beginning of 2010.
Built to High Environmental Quality ® measures, it has been designed to provide noise and heat insulation and the cottages will be High Energy Efficiency Building certified.
They boast a number of eco-friendly features including:
Different renewable energy sources will be used onsite, including a wood and gas boiler to provide 80% of energy requirements for the heating of the main central facilities. Solar panels will be used for hot water in some buildings, and energy-reduction and power-saving measures initiated.
Waste sorting and recycling will be managed and followed. Each cottage is equipped with recycling bins. Suppliers are asked to minimise packaging and recycle or reuse. Organic waste is composted and used as a nutrient for gardening.
The legislation in France does not allow the use of rainwater inside of buildings (toilets, for example) but all rainwater from the central facilities will be harvested and used for the lagoon and the lake to contribute to the preservation and promotion of biodiversity.
- local and sustainable building materials
The construction of cottages and the structure of the central facilities will be in wood grown in either local or sustainable development certified forests. P&V has a policy to promote the use of renewable, recyclable and eco-certified materials for construction.
P&V will create a car-free development with electric shuttles to transport visitors around the village. Cottages will be connected to the rest of the development by pedestrian and cycle tracks. Parking is restricted to beltways around the development. High-speed train connections from Paris by TGV, reducing 80% of CO2 emissions over the equivalent journey by plane, are operational.
The two and four bedroom cottages are on sale from €144,000 (£100,000).
For more information contact nVillas info@nvillas.com