This project is a Certified Passive House (Passive House Classic). It is a new house for a family who lost their home in the Marshall Fire, a devastating fire that burned more than a thousand homes in Boulder County, Colorado, on December 30, 2021. 

Sustainability and resilience are fundamental drivers of the design. The house is constructed with prefabricated, structurally insulated panels. The 14" thick, heavily insulated panels will provide R-values of R-52 on the walls and R-59 on the roofs. 

The house's design celebrates the thick walls with massing and material choices that nod to southwestern-style adobe houses, a typology that the owners particularly like. Clerestory windows and large glazed openings juxtapose the heaviness of the thick walls, flooding the home with light and opening it to mountain views. 

The house is an all-electric, net-zero, Certified Passive House. It uses heat pump technology for heating and cooling (albeit low loads, given the insulation and air-tightness of the envelope), water heating, and an ERV system for natural ventilation. It includes PV panels and electric car charging, prioritizing environmentally responsible companies and material selections. 

This project was completed in August 2024
Photo credits: Ethan Herrold Photography, Inc.