Detailed plans have been prepared by Richard Stretton of Koop Design, an award-winning Durban-based architectural firm that specializes in sustainable "green" architecture.

His contemporary designs make use of the natural stone and other materials found in the area and are designed to complement the home owner’s nature-immersed life­style.

Stretton’s design ethos is to produce buildings and products that are environmentally sens­it­ive and en­ergy ef­fi­cient.

Nature loving homeowners will enjoy a lifestyle that minimizes their carbon foot­print. His designs see the home as an element of the landscape, using materials and forms that blend with their surroundings.

Fea­tures in­clude deeply shaded win­dows pro­tec­ted by vari­ous shades or screens which are de­signed not to ob­scure the views and in­tim­ate con­tact with nature. Rough nat­ural stone fin­ishes in­side the homes will be off­set by re­fined pol­ished stone sur­faces and tim­ber wall pan­els in bed­rooms, kit­chens and bath­rooms - all de­signed to minimise main­ten­ance.

In tune with the con­ser­va­tion ethos of the Hopewell Nature Re­serve, rain­wa­ter will be col­lec­ted for ir­rig­a­tion, grey water sys­tems will re­cycle where pos­sible, and nat­ural light­ing and vent­il­a­tion will minimise de­pend­ence on elec­trical power.