A brand new residential development never before seen in the U.S. is on its way to Frisco.


India-based Total Environment is planning a 121-home community distinguished by its houses with native plants covering the domed rooftops.


City leaders have called the development innovative, beautiful and a risk, and the one question Shashi Ketu gets asked often is, “Will I have to mow my roof?”


The answer is no, residents will not have to mow their roofs, said Ketu, Total Environment’s CEO for Texas Operations. Given that this is the first Total Environment project in the country, Ketu has fielded a lot of questions from city staff and residents.


The idea behind these homes is to blur the lines between the indoors and the outdoors, Ketu said. Total Environment has built apartments and single-family homes in India, each either with its own garden or green rooftop.


“It’s about using natural materials; it’s about bringing the outdoors inside; it’s about designing and building around nature,” Ketu said.


The company has looked to expand into the U.S. for some time and at one point considered properties in California, Ketu said. However, after seeing the population growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Ketu said he began looking in Texas. He said he found the right culture and the “perfect” property in Frisco.


“It’s probably the most beautiful piece of property in North Dallas,” he said. “We wanted water, we wanted trees, and we got both of that on the property.”


Home design


Total Environment is working with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas to incorporate native plants into the development, including the plants on the rooftops.


The plants on the rooftops will be maintained by the community’s homeowners association. HOA representatives will only need to access the rooftops four times a year, and the roofs are designed to prevent other people or animals from wandering on top of them, Ketu said.


Besides the native plants on the roofs, each home comes with multiple gardens, including private gardens at the back of the house and a garden that overlooks the driveway at the front of the house.


A construction start date has not been set, but Ketu said construction should begin this year. The homes are expected to be sold at $1 million each.


“It’s been designed with a particular philosophy and vision in mind, which, again, is [being] very close to nature,” he said.


The full story can be found online here.