Inside, outside. Aesthetic, functional. Sustainable, luxurious. The Garden Atriums of Poquoson play with all of your preconceptions about architecture, selfsufficiency, and comfort – and that's exactly what developer Stuart W. Rose had in mind when he designed what he calls "the ideal self-sustainable residential community."

The atrium is anchored by a stone fountain filled with aquatic plants and fish. Lush vegetation isn't for looks only. It also cleans and oxygenates the air.

That's a certifiably lofty ideal, but Rose, a registered architect with a Ph.D. in organizational development, is used to thinking large. He asks the big questions. Like, what do we mean by "sustainable?" What's a "sustainable house"? Could a sustainable house be competitively priced? Would people actually buy it? And if they did, would they like it?

A recent visit to the Garden Atriums yielded an entire free-range crop of answers.

The summer heat was enough to make even nonbelievers think about the effects of global warming. Stepping into the foyer of the 4,928-square-foot home that Rose built with his wife, interior designer Trina C. Duncan, makes a visitor's eyes water with relief.

The living area is cool. Delightfully, blessedly cool. Towering birds of paradise, heliconia, Boston ferns, peace lilies, and other lush tropicals reach up to a huge skylight. Greenery defines a conversation nook, a breakfast area, a larger gathering space. These plants don't live in containers. They're planted in the earth, slightly below the level of the outdoor-quality tiles that complete the flooring. "We wrapped the house around the yard," says Rose.

Surrounding this interior garden atrium are glass-walled sleeping and work areas. (Rose runs his consulting firm, Professional Development Resources Inc., from the house. Duncan is responsible for Garden Atriums' marketing and business relationships and also works from home.) Yet each area, and the house itself, enjoys privacy, thanks to thoughtful siting and the ingenious use of fences and shades.

ABOVE: The master bedroom is serene and comfortable. Every room in the house looks onto the atrium. BELOW: Chinese foo dog sculptures stand guard at the front door.

How much does it cost to keep what is essentially an oversized terrarium comfortable during a Tidewater summer? Duncan laughs and pulls out a recent Dominion Virginia Power bill.

Zero. (Well, almost. "We forgot to plan for enough solar power to run the hot tub," laughs Rose.)

Rose points to the garden skylight. Seventy-two photovoltaic solar panels convert sunlight into energy; a large battery in the garage stores it for future use. When the battery reaches capacity – and that happens often – the house's excess electricity is sold back to Dominion. "Basically, I use the grid for storage," he says. Skylight vents draw exhaust from the house.

A visitor wonders how comfortable the home's stone floors are in winter. The answer: "Very." A geo-thermal loop transfers heat energy from the ground to under-floor rock-bed caches that warm the floor tiles and provide radiant heat to the surrounding area.

Thanks to that giant skylight, "We can generate and store enough electricity to last us a 14-hour night," says Rose. And just in case, the house has two electric panels. The refrigerator and other necessities are wired directly to a generator that provides back-up power when storms take the grid down. A second panel box serves the non-urgent electrical needs of the house.

Year-round, "super insulation" helps minimize temperature swings. Water, channeled from the roof into an underground cistern, passes through a reverse-osmosis purifier, making it safe to use; a passive solar rooftop water heater makes sure there's enough hot water to go around.

ABOVE: In the dining room there is a mix of Asian art and American antiques. BELOW: A bill from Dominion Virginia Power shows $0.00 due.

Although all architectural, interior, and landscape elements have Trina's special "touch" in relation to color and texture, her influence is best seen in the kitchen. Solid wood cabinetry, granite work surfaces, and high-end appliances surround a breakfast bar, which also provides for additional storage. The warm inviting area is lit by contact fluorescent lights. Light-emitting diodes give a soft glow under the cabinets. "LEDs last, on average, 125,000 hours. That's 65 years of average use," says Rose. In the bath areas, motion sensors turn lights on (and off!) as necessary.

A visitor begins to understand that everything in a Garden Atrium house is there for a good environmental reason. A second look at the plantings confirms that realization.

Rose cites the statistics suggesting that childhood asthma is on the rise. Emphysema and cancer are on the rise among adults. Both conditions are exacerbated by low levels of oxygen.

Trina Duncan and Stuart Rose are committed to sustainable living. Their home is a union of his architecture and her interior design.

"How can we soak up carbon dioxide and increase the levels of oxygen in the air?" asks Rose, and then he answers himself. "Plants consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen." Hence, the preponderance of broad-leafed plants. The use of paint with zero levels of volatile organic compounds (available to consumers as "low VOC paint") and undyed wool floor coverings also contribute to the interior air quality. "Our guests sleep 30 to 40 percent longer here because of the enhanced oxygen level," says Rose.

Duncan and Rose lead a brief tour of their small gated community. In the common area, shared by each householder, walkways and seating areas look out over fruit trees, organic gardening beds, and an aquaculture pond; the garden, trees, and pond will be harvested as appropriate. A grand allee of crape myrtles will create a pink covered walkway later. Each of the four completed homes has a unified look, but each is different, reflecting the different kinds of families who live there. Work is just about to begin on the fifth Garden Atrium home.

Technology and innovation are beginning to address the problems of sustainable architecture. What problems lie ahead of us?

Rose thinks for a moment.

"Food," he says. He's concerned about issues like foreign ownership of domestic farms and food processing. He thinks a lot about water, too, and cites an international conflict currently in the news. "It's not about politics. It's not even about religion. It's about water rights." He rapidly extends the discussion from food and water to the "100-mile diet" concept and community-supported agriculture.

"It's the classic problem: you have 13 people and a boat that holds only 12."

Stuart Rose doesn't have the answer – yet. But when he does, the answer will be, like the Garden Atriums, functional, elegant, and doable.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AND GOING GREEN?
STU ROSE SUGGESTS YOU START WITH THIS READING LIST:
• "How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office" B.C. Wolverton
• "Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age" Michael H. Shuman
• "The Chaos Point: The World at the Crossroads" Ervin Laszlo
• "The Hawkweed Passive Solar House Book" Rodney Wright