Sustainable Ranch

Sedalia, CO, United States

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Sustainable Ranch

Sedalia, CO, United States

Firm

Type

Residential › Private House

YEAR

2006

SIZE

3000 sqft - 5000 sqft

BUDGET

$500K - 1M

The house is located within a land conservancy in rural
Douglas County, Colorado. It is surrounded by a large expanse of
dedicated open space and adjoins a long stretch of West Plum Creek. A
significant portion of the property is a wildlife corridor easement, so the
house is oriented to provide views of the abundant wildlife including elk,
coyotes, golden eagles, and the occasional mountain bear.

The West Plum Creek Valley contains many historic
ranching and farming structures. These buildings have a simplicity and
organizational strength that inspired the house design. Roof forms
include sheds of varying pitch, a center gabled skylight, and ventilating
cupola. The extended plan of the house results in two courtyards.
The east courtyard conceals vehicle parking, while the west courtyard shelters
family activities and opens to views of the creek and the Rampart Mountain
Range beyond.

One of the biggest challenges was how to locate a house
on such a wide open expanse and have it seem as if it belongs there. The
approach was to mimic the forms, textures, and outward materials of the
traditional ranch and farm buildings in the area, including barns, silos, and
corrals. The xeriscape landscaping, earth tone cement board siding, and
pre-rusted corrugated metal roof panels aid the house in blending with its
surroundings.

Energy conservation and environmental sustainability were
of paramount importance in the design of the house, incorporating as many
sustainable features as were consistent with the owner’s lifestyle,
architectural theme, and budget. The result is one of the greenest in
Colorado and combines features never brought together in one project.

Beetle-killed Ponderosa Pine harvested in Colorado and
milled by local woodworker was used for doors and wood floors. Dual mode,
low volume toilets conserve water. The house incorporates a super
insulated envelope consisting of structural insulated panels, triple and
quadruple pane Heatmirror windows tuned with different performance
characteristics for each exposure, and Nanogel R-20 skylights. The highly
efficient mechanical system is tied to z geo-exchange field coupled with
radiant floors for heating and cooling. Finally, the house uses renewable
energy from an on-site 3.4 kW photovoltaic system and 1.8 kW wind turbine to
complete the sustainable package.