CSDA residential single family.

• Position: Colorado Sustainable Design Awards - Merten Inc - Company overview

Phantom Canyon Ranch

ARCHITECT/INTERIOR DESIGN

MQ Architecture & Design

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Merten Inc.

OVERVIEW

Completed in September 2009, Phantom Canyon Ranch is a LEED Gold certified house of 3,012 square feet nestled inside Phantom Canyon Nature Preserve in Livermore, Colo.

The home's immediate neighbors include hummingbirds, black bear, bobcat and other wildlife. Minimizing the environmental footprint was extremely important to all parties, thus the importance of achieving LEED Gold standards. Also Phantom Canyon is a development in a nature preserve, and the community is promoted through its strong hyper-green identity and encourages or mandates green community planning. The site selection, home layout and adhering to requirements such as a 25-foot building height limit were vital to the planning success.

"The site was totally wild, and was basically kept in its original and unmolested state," the project's entry stated. "The house was placed in such a way that it did not disturb any of the existing trees or boulders. Locally sourced boulder walls and gravel swales provide runoff control."

SUSTAINABLE FEATURES

[much greater than] Structural insulated panels for walls and roof, radiant heat, beetle-kill pine flooring.

[much greater than] Reclaimed concrete roof tiles support a generous roof-flush system of both photovoltaic panels and evacuated solar thermal tubes. (A battery backup system will keep the refrigerator and select radiant zones fueled during power outages.)

[much greater than] No irrigation system was installed as all disturbed areas were reseeded with native grasses.

[much greater than] The appropriately small-sized exterior patios are concrete pavers, and all parking surfaces and walkways are gravel to minimize runoff and maximize storm water infiltration.

[much greater than] Exterior lighting is all covered or points down to minimize light pollution.

[much greater than] The house orientation is 12 degrees off the east-west axis based on true north to maximize solar gain for passive heating. This layout, combined with its placement on the lot, selection of windows, use of deep porches and other features creates a house that is extremely comfortable to live in and requires minimal mechanical input

[much greater than] The alternative energy systems installer gave multiple training sessions with the homeowner and a maintenance manual was provided by the builder. The owner worked with the builder and systems installer to...