The Strand: Keeping it Sleek, Stylish & Sustainable in Turks & Caicos
Our vision for The Strand in the Turks & Caicos is simple: A seaside community designed with special attention to detail, a place that inspires adventure as well as peace, and a collection of comfortably chic homes whose owners are proud to call them their own. But beyond that, we’ve made a commitment to sustainability and doing our part to protect the beautiful-by-nature environment at Cooper Jack as we bring to life an environmentally friendly sanctuary.
How are we incorporating sustainability into The Strand design? Let us count the ways.
Solar Energy & Smart Technology
In every aspect of the design process for The Strand, we’ve asked ourselves how we can be as energy efficient as possible. That’s why we’re integrating solar power and smart technology throughout The Strand Villas and Residences.
Solar energy not only makes sense from an environmentally conscious point of view, but it also comes with a financial perk with an estimated eight-year return on investment and increased home values. We plan to use Tesla powerwalls and Canadian solar panels, which would run your home at night and act as backup power in the case of a power outage. These solar systems would account for 70-80% of your energy use, with the remaining percentage coming from the traditional power grid as backup.
Normally, power in the Turks & Caicos comes from a diesel power plant that costs about 43 cents per kwh. Our costs to provide solar power will be about 13 cents per kwh.
Our solar packages will also allow residents to charge their electric vehicles and integrate them into the overall power system. Packages at The Strand incorporate from one to as many as five Tesla powerwalls in a given home.
Meanwhile, we’re utilizing smart home technology with Leviton Decora smart switches and outlets for remote and pre-set lighting, drapery and appliance control; smart thermostats for energy-saving temperature control; and power-reducing LED lighting throughout the community connected to smart technology.
Building With Natural Materials
At The Strand, we’ve strived for a design that looks and feels organic. Hand-crafted. Timeless. And for us, the best way to achieve that was clear: By using natural materials.
That means thoughtfully incorporating raw elements into the design of each home, like natural limestone and sustainably harvested wood to invoke an Old World essence. We’re also making use of plaster throughout our homes — another eco-friendly building material that’s been used for centuries. The design of The Strand is heavily influenced by the ancient architecture of Greece, Spain and Italy, which proves to be not only a visual delight, but also sustainable for the environment. And all of these materials are poor heat conductors, helping to keep each home cool.
The orientation of each home was also designed to perfectly capture the prevailing breeze, so you can stay comfortable in the hotter summer months. With flow-through ventilation and abundant pergolas, there’s minimal need for air conditioning throughout the year.
Thoughtful Landscaping
Part of what makes the Turks & Caicos so special is the native flora that thrives here — it’s lush and beautiful in its own right, and it doesn’t require excessive irrigation. So when it comes to The Strand landscaping, we’ve committed to keeping as much of the natural vegetation as possible.
Our local plant life makes for stunning landscaping on its own, from seagrape to silver palms, agave to bromeliads. The local Turks & Caicos flora is resilient, even in the driest of weather, ensuring our community keeps its water consumption low. But for any required irrigation, we’ve designed rainwater catchment cisterns and grey water systems to maximize natural resources.
Beautiful by Nature — and Design
At the end of the day, there’s a reason we’ve chosen Cooper Jack Bay in the Turks & Caicos as home for The Strand. It only takes one visit to our islands to understand why our national slogan is “Beautiful by Nature.” From the pristine ocean and thriving coral reef, to the unique flora and fauna — like the endemic Caicos orchid and the local curly-tailed lizard — our islands are a tiny oasis on the map with so much to offer. And at The Strand, we feel it is our responsibility to help protect and preserve the beauty that naturally exists here.
The Turks & Caicos will only remain beautiful by nature if we all do our part to keep it that way. That’s why we’ve designed a luxury community that not only provides a private sanctuary for those fortunate to call The Strand home — we’ve also designed a community that actively does its part to respect our island and help it thrive.
If you’re looking to plant your roots in the Turks & Caicos, and our mission of sustainability resonates with you — get in touch. Let’s find out if The Strand is the dream home-away-from-home you’re looking for.
Written by Evangelia Ganosellis