[green | prefab design]

Architecture is unparalleled in its influence on our day to day environment. Construction is remarkably resource intensive. Quality design requires that we think in terms of the broader affects of our work and the long-term consequences of our actions.

We subscribe to the sustainable principles represented by the USGBC's LEED program and we have designed both commercial and residential projects that targeted certification. We are familiar as well with the Energy Star program and Colorado Built Green. The Studio staff is certified in Boulder's Green Points program and the Studio is a member of the Boulder Green Building Guild.

We have designed projects that incorporate active and passive solar heating and power generation technology, worked with building systems such as SIPs, ICFs, and OVE framing, specified alternative materials such as papercrete countertops and recycled content tile, and employed urethane based construction adhesives and low VOC paints. Having worked through budget concerns on other projects, we are also familiar with the process of determining where value received warrants the pursuit of cutting edge and nontraditional approaches to construction.

Some of our nontraditional construction experience includes modular off site construction, imported German prefab and shipping container based projects. These systems have the ability to save time while offering better energy performance and a reduction in waste that usually accompanies traditional building techniques. The reduced building time can be a huge benefit in a region with challenging weather and especially useful for hard-to reach sites with short building seasons. Each system has benefits, for example, the German prefab has the best combination of craft, quality, speed and energy efficient construction that we have found to date.