Green home design -
sustainability and comfort
Modern homes have become complex projects.
We plan to simplify them - through whole-system
design and efficiency planning. Affordably. Beautifully.
We bring the options - and the long-term benefits - of Net Zero Energy* building strategies to your project.
- climate-specific design
- passive solar heating and cooling
- natural daylighting
- energy-efficient construction
- energy-efficient appliances and lighting
- solar thermal and solar electric systems
*Net Zero - the concept - and the DOE intiative.
Solar orientation and thermal massing are the oldest and still most viable strategies for building comfort - widely used by the ancient Greeks, Romans, the Anasazi of the American southwest - and18th century New England homesteaders! Capture of the Sun's energy remains central to sustainable planning - and domestic well-being.
Diagrams from DOE publication Passive Solar Design for the Home. |
 Diagram 2: Passive solar design using a trombe wall. |
High-performance building design requires a team. We want to be yours.
Tell us about your project. Or call us - at 505-877-8047, in Albuquerque. We can help.
- NEW CONSTRUCTION - off-grid cabins, grid-tied intentional communities, single family homes
- ADDITIONS - barns, greenhouses, courtyards, ramadas, rain harvesting systems, landscapes
- PERFORMANCE UPGRADES - vintage housing, tract and historic renovations and utility remodeling
Unhappy with your building? Tell us about it.
We put information to work - to deliver an efficient, balanced - and highly individual - built environment.
STEP 1: Planning sessions
- outlining the design process
- envisioning your green home
- setting a project budget
- discovering your architectural style
- selecting the site; land ethics
- building envelope optimization
- heating and cooling strategies - and the solar option
- government incentives* for energy efficiency
- household electronics selection
- landscape - ethics and esthetics - and edible gardens.
* Tax Incentives - State, local, utility, and federal - see DSIRE
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Planning - design charettes: Our design process begins with creative conversations between you and select design professionals specific to your project's success. The goal of these discussions - to identify, then 'materialize' the project vision into planning documents that articulate the "best possible" scenario - gratification of your vision, a sustainable building process, preserving the ecological integrity of the site - and the well-being of your family and community. Planning - for clarity. Designing to inspire. |
| STEP 2: Preliminary drawings Based on choices you make in the Planning sessions, we draft the primary preliminary drawings - floor plans and elevations. We will communicate with you regularly during the Preliminary drawings phase, minimizing Revisions. If envisioning your project requires more dramatic graphics, we will create them. RENDERINGS . 3-D MODELS |
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STEP
3: Building Plans
Developed from the Preliminary drawings you have approved, the Building Plans and specifications are drafted. These are the design documents submitted for a Building Permit.
Our standard Building Plan Set includes:
- structural drawings - site, floor, foundation, roof, typical wall and foundation sections, elevations
- basic electrical and plumbing layout
- construction notes and specifications
- heat loss calculations*
- optional - cabinet elevations, window and door
schedules, framing details, finish & hardware schedules,
LEED specifications**
* Building and HVAC systems designed to New Mexico Energy Code
** If seeking LEED rating - see LEED Green Building Rating for Homes (2 MB file) for certification process.
The UrbanEcos list of key sustainability features:
- solar orientation - for natural light, passive heating; photovoltaic options
- building footprint - prioritizing site preservation/remediation; minimum impact; community connection - and the psychological well-being of views!
- on-site energy production for Net Zero Energy profile
- recyclable, renewable, low embodied-energy materials
- super insulation; wall and roof system performance optimization
- high-performance windows - Heat Mirror, low-E, warm-edge spacers, inert gas
- ventilation heat recovery; natural ventilation<
- fluorescent and LED lighting; solar day-lighting
- Energy Star rated appliances and fixture selection
- healthy interior finishes and furnishings
- xeriscaping and food gardens
- rainwater harvesting ; on-site treatment and re-use strategies
- and little things that add up - water heating and other household behaviors
Survival may be a fitness contest.
Living is still an art.
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