On Wednesday night, March 27th, Troy Sober kicked off Boston Design Week at a panel discussion on Resilient Waterfront Design.

The sold out event was held at Symphony Hall and included a behind the scenes talk with experts in the residential industry. Troy Sober, Principal of Gregory Lombardi Design, spoke alongside John MacDonald and Elizabeth Cameron from Morehouse MacDonald and Associates (event sponsor), Kevin Lagasse from The Lagasse Group, Amy Mizner from Benoit Mizner Simon, and Gary Rousseau from Herrick & White Architectural Woodworkers and was promoted by Northshore Magazine. The group shared their experiences with clients who are buying, designing and building homes meant to withstand the natural elements found along coastlines.

Many questions came up regarding sustainability and whether these luxury homes meet the standards to be called “resilient”. Troy explained that designing a resilient landscape starts with selecting materials that can withstand the elements; siting program elements such as pools and homes out of flood plain zones, while considering the impact of strong storm winds too; and creating lasting outdoor environments that our clients can enjoy and can become legacy homes for generations.

A sustainable trend in landscape is to use salvaged curbing for paving.  All over Massachusetts, old curbing is being replaced with new curbing and our clients have an opportunity to purchase the old stock for their own use. Its texture brings a unique warmth and aesthetic quality that they appreciate, while its resilient nature will outlast the ever-changing storm pattern.