Cape Fear Station

Planners Chuck Dietsche and Dan Costa took on the challenge of building an environmentally friendly 500-unit resort village in the ancient maritime forest at the tip of North Carolina’s Cape Fear. To preserve this special eco-system, trees were left in place and small-scale cottages were clustered around a village green that serves as a shared backyard for the whole community. Dietsche and Costa created strict guidelines that kept the scale small, with golf-cart roads and walking paths woven through the standing trees. The result: eco-friendly cottages on timeless tree-lined streets create a magical coastal town that seems like it has been there for a hundred years.

Ecofriendly 21st –century planning creates a nostalgic hometown of the past.

Garage access is limited to carefully crafted alleyways that wind through the back of the homes.

Uniform guidelines establish protocols for building placement and dimension within the trees.

Cape Fear Station is barely visible from above.

A casual village green weaves through the trees and serves as a community backyard for outdoor play.

Satellite photos show the tip of Cape Fear where an ancient forest is bounded by white sandy beaches.

Cape Fear Station balances living spaces within an ancient landscape.

Cape Fear Station is a coastal treasure hidden in the woods.

Ancient trees dictated natural pathways through the wooded bluffs.