A Stylish, Energy-Efficient Boulder Home

Photos courtesy of Rodwin Architecture | Skycastle Construction

Inspired by the surrounding nature of Colorado’s foothills and mountains, this design/build project is an achievement in green building.

The owners of The Hoefling House in Boulder wanted a home with clean, bold, sustainable and original modern design.

They enlisted Rodwin Architecture and sister company Skycastle Construction to complete full architectural, interior and construction services.

The house has achieved LEED Platinum certification and a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) of 14 (scale of 0 to 150), making it a near Net-Zero Energy house.

To meet the requirements of these two standards, Rodwin and Skycastle used a combination of passive solar design, a 10kWh solar PV array discretely tucked onto the roof, a ground source heat pump and boiler, radiant flooring with high thermal mass, foam insulation, Energy Star “tuned” windows, all LED lights, Energy Star appliances, EPA Watersense plumbing fixtures, and a Heat Recovery Ventilator. In addition, a LEED Manager/sustainability consultant was involved in the process along with the engineering consultants.

Rodwin Architecture has made it standard practice to design homes from the inside out. One of the influences in the home’s conceptual design was nature: the idea was to bring inside the southwestern views of the Flatirons, sky, and several towering specimen Ponderosa Pines on the property, along with plenty of natural light.

Natural wood flows from the raised ceiling inside to the soffits outside, and the added clerestory windows give the roof a floating effect as the surrounding views are fully captured by the inhabitants. This home is flooded with natural daylight and cross-ventilation in every room.

Nature further drove the design with a strong indoor/outdoor functional flow, an orchard and raised gardens on the property, and the warm texture of the natural wood and board-formed concrete siding.

Another interesting external feature is found on the home’s Eastern side: a window cut-out in the roof allows sun to shine down onto the live roof garden, located on a 2nd floor balcony.

A white concrete porch welcomes visitors as they approach the home. A small outdoor cooking area is set up with built-in BBQ grill, integrated planters, and gas fire pit, all built of board-formed concrete, plus dining table.

A raised-bed veggie garden and fruit tree orchard are just off to the side of the patio.

The star attraction in the dining and living rooms are the broad sliding glass doors that blur the separation between house and landscape.

The Hoefling house is the concept of super sustainability brought to life. Between the indoor/outdoor connections on the first floor to the audiophile approved space on the second floor to the immense glass walls, natural materials, living roofs, and high energy efficiency, this home is as smart and efficient as it is modern and chic.

DESIGN DETAILS
ARCHITECTURE Scott Rodwin, AIA, LEED AP, Rodwin Architecture/Skycastle Construction INTERIOR DESIGN Jocelyn Parlapiano and Cecelia Daniels, Rodwin Architecture/Skycastle Construction CONSTRUCTION Brandon David, LEED AP, Rodwin Architecture/Skycastle Construction