A groundbreaking 121-home residential community called Tapestry has opened in Frisco, Texas, featuring innovative green roofs and nature-integrated design principles. The project was designed by Bangalore-based Shibanee & Kamal Architects and constructed by their development arm Total Environment, representing a unique approach to suburban housing that prioritizes daily contact with nature.
The 56-acre development showcases curved planted roofs, direct garden access from every room, and a pedestrian-friendly master plan surrounded by creeks, waterways, and more than 600 mature native trees. CEO Aadi Sagar, who leads Total Environment's U.S. operations, emphasized that the project deliberately connects residents with nature through both its material choices and spatial layout.
"We like to use natural materials as much as possible," Sagar explained in a recent video interview, highlighting the extensive use of wood, marble, and long-lasting brick that "develops its own character over time." The architects prioritized materials that would age gracefully and maintain their connection to the natural environment throughout the seasons.
Every home in the Tapestry community features a distinctive curved green roof that serves multiple functional purposes beyond aesthetic appeal. Co-founder Shibanee Sagar noted that these living roofs provide crucial insulation throughout Texas's changing seasons. "It helps keep the home cooler in the summer and even when there are hailstorms, it actually protects the roof," she explained, demonstrating how the green infrastructure addresses both energy efficiency and severe weather protection.
The indoor-outdoor connection represents a central design principle throughout the entire development, supported by direct garden access from nearly every interior space. "Letting the outdoors in has been one of the guiding principles of the design that we do," Shibanee Sagar stated, explaining how this philosophy shaped every aspect of the project's architecture.
Shibanee Sagar described her overall design approach as fundamentally rooted in fluidity, with particular emphasis on maximizing natural light and ventilation throughout each home. The residences incorporate specially designed sawtooth windows that are carefully angled to avoid harsh direct sunshine while welcoming softer, indirect daylight into interior spaces.
Aadi Sagar noted that the arrival sequence was intentionally designed to introduce visitors and residents to the project's distinctive curving geometry, with architectural forms that gradually open up as people move from exterior to interior spaces. The homes strategically incorporate various geometric forms, including circles and squares, specifically positioned to maximize natural light penetration and create dynamic spatial experiences.
Interior spaces continue the established material palette with warm, natural finishes that reinforce the connection to the surrounding landscape. Wood and marble are used extensively throughout the homes, while innovative mirrored kitchen backsplashes reflect the exterior planting to bring continuous views of the landscape directly into the interior living spaces.
For Shibanee Sagar, these careful design decisions stem from a fundamental belief that architecture should be shaped by the relationships between people and their natural environment. "The only thing that is really going to carry you is your relationships – whether it is with the natural world or with people," she reflected, explaining the philosophical foundation underlying the project's approach.
Shibanee & Kamal Architects is a global architecture and design studio that was founded in Bangalore in 1996 by Shibanee and Kamal Sagar. The firm has built an international reputation for consistently integrating outdoor spaces and natural materials throughout their diverse portfolio of projects, with the Tapestry community representing their first major residential development in the United States market.
