A COMMUNITY THAT DEFINES 'SMART' LIVING

Driving through Laureate Park, it doesn’t take long to realize that it’s no ordinary new-home neighborhood. The first thing you’ll likely notice is the creative architecture of the homes — sophisticated, imaginative and sometimes quirky.

Maybe that’s to be expected in a place where the streets are named after Nobel Laureates. And maybe that’s to be expected in a place that’s the residential heart of Lake Nona’s Medical City, a world-class biomedical cluster anchored by the UCF College of Medicine, the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, the University of Florida Research and Academic Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital and the Orlando Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center.

Laureate Park, which will ultimately encompass 2,600 homes, has been the fastest-selling community within Lake Nona over the past year and one of the fastest-selling in the region. That’s partly because of the Medical City location, of course. And it’s partly because of the modern transitional-style homes, which are both intriguing to view and inexpensive to operate.

All Laureate Park homes are designed using guidelines set by GE’s Homes Inspired by Ecomagination initiative. The homes are also green-certified by Environments For Living, a national leader in providing guidance for energy-efficient building.

At the heart of Laureate Park will be its Village Center, with a a resort-style aquatic center, a lakeside restaurant and café and a fitness facility. The aquatic center, which recently opened, features two large pools, lounging areas and a sand volleyball court. 

A zero-entry family pool features deck jets and a 25-foot-tall dumping bucket. An adult pool features free-form swimming areas and four Junior Olympic lap lanes as well as private cabanas.

Concentric Restaurants — an Atlanta-based hospitality management company that previously worked with Luma on Park and Prato in Winter Park — is designing a new restaurant in the Village Center. The name and the concept have not been announced, but Lake Nona officials say it will be a destination restaurant that will draw from across the region.

Builders in Laureate Park include Ashton Woods Homes, David Weekley Homes, Minto Communities and Taylor Morrison Homes. Custom-home options are available from Arturo Barcelona Homes, Issa Homes and Way Cool Homes. Prices start from the high $230s.

Lake Nona is being developed by Lake Nona Property Holdings, owned by Tavistock Group, a private investment organization with a broad portfolio of assets around the world. 

For more information, visit learnlakenona.com.