Introducing Waters Edge — Our First Aera House Design & Build

We’re excited to share the details of our first Aera home—a 900-square-foot, 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in the Waters Edge community, just south of Nashville. This project will be the first full implementation of the Aera pod and panel system, marking a major milestone in our approach to sustainable homebuilding.

What are pods and panels?

Glad you asked. We believe the traditional construction process is too slow, expensive, and wasteful, so we’re taking a different approach. Instead of building everything on-site from scratch, we're creating a new prefabricated system that allows us to build higher quality homes more efficiently, while also having a much lower carbon footprint.

Our pod and panel approach enables us to construct the most complex parts of the home off-site in a controlled environment, ensuring precision, efficiency, and sustainability. By the time they arrive on-site, these pods and panels are fully built, finished, and ready to be installed.

In the video below, our founder, Justin Koziol, walks through how the pod and panel system will be used to create our first Aera home in the Waters Edge community.

‍

‍

Pods & Panels for Waters Edge

For Waters Edge, we will build three pods that will form the mechanical core of the house. Each pod will be fully constructed and finished in our Nashville facility—including plumbing, electrical, fixtures, and flooring—before being delivered to the site for installation.

Once the pods are in place, pre-fabricated wall panels will be added to enclose the home, creating the bedrooms and living spaces.

‍

Pods

Guest Bathroom + Kitchen Pod – A fully finished bathroom and kitchen system, complete with fixtures, plumbing, cabinetry, and electrical.

‍Master Bathroom Pod – A complete, enclosed bathroom with fixtures, plumbing, and electrical.

Mechanical Pod – The home’s core utility hub, containing the electrical panel, energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system, lighting controls, and other mechanical components.

‍

Wall Panels

Additionally, our custom-built wall panels will arrive ready for assembly, reducing installation time while ensuring a precise, airtight fit. These panels will come pre-installed with Fenestration Guy’s European windows and doors, including a 28-foot sliding glass door.

This will be our first time integrating windows and doors directly into the wall assemblies—an exciting challenge for our team to tackle.

‍

‍

A Look Inside: The Materials We’re Using

For our home's interior materials, we're keeping things beautiful, simple, and highly sustainable. We carefully selected each material to complement the warmth and beauty of our CLT walls while prioritizing durability, ease of maintenance, and sustainability.

‍

‍

Walls

Instead of traditional drywall, the interior will feature exposed CLT panels, providing a warm, durable, and natural finish throughout the home. CLT is not only a strong, low-carbon alternative to conventional materials, but it also adds a beautiful natural aesthetic to the space.

Cabinetry

To complement the CLT walls, we’ve selected light walnut cabinetry that subtly contrasts the wood while maintaining a cohesive, natural feel.

Countertops

We’re using Forbo Furniture Linoleum—a sustainable, easy-to-clean surface that adds a soft contrast to the wood tones of the walls and cabinets.

Flooring

Continuing our love for Forbo, we’ve chosen Nori Marmoleum flooring, made from natural linseed oil. This material is durable, self-healing, and low-maintenance while offering a healthier, VOC-free alternative to traditional flooring.

Shower Walls

Instead of tile, we’re using cork from Moontower—a naturally antimicrobial, water-resistant material that is easy to clean and adds a warm, organic texture to the space.

‍

Watch our walkthrough to get a sneak peak of these materials below:

‍

Why this matters

The Waters Edge home is more than our first full-scale home project—it represents the future of how Aera homes will be built. By using our pod and panel system, we are creating a faster, smarter, and more sustainable way to build homes without compromising on design, quality, or efficiency.
‍

Follow along

We’re excited to share our build process with you. Follow us on Instagram and Youtube for updates.

‍