The develop-design-build team acquired a property in Arapahoe Acres, a mid-century development, consisting of 124 similarly-designed homes themselves originally conceived as contemporary, affordable, family-centric housing. The design begins with the intention of creating a heart of the home, an epicenter from which all activity and interaction spirals outward into the yard flowing through other smaller, private spaces. In preserving the home no detail was unattended and a botanist/landscape architect was engaged to assess the condition of the many mature trees on the property in order to help retain the yard’s secret garden quality.
Eliminating the overbearing sense of compartmentalization was a high priority and opening the home’s potential meant creating a large airy volume of central living space by extending the kitchen up and out and including floor-to-ceiling windows. Maintaining load-bearing window mullions and integrating code-compliant structural supports into an all glass wall called for steel reinforcements and custom-made steel plates for sistering joists, all of which were concealed within the historic framework. The contentious marriage between meeting today’s building codes and affordably preserving the existing historic architecture required an intense design introspection. Highly articulated design detailing was required for all trim work including; windows, doors, fascia, and base boards to maintain the historic character.
The material palette was initiated with a warm, rich foundation of woods used on floors, ceilings, cabinetry and millwork in the main living space. Lighting, both natural and installed, plays an important role in establishing ambiance throughout the home and LED’s illuminate spaces at a hospitable, human-scale. Soft hues for surfaces and paints throughout the kitchen and baths are all deftly complimented by period-appropriate style lines resulting in a crisp, cohesive aesthetic.Today, front-to-back sightlines across the core of the home impart a sense of connectivity from the first step through the door.
Strategic placement of the added square footage divided into two angular segments built-out to side yard setback lines preserves the backyard’s full volume while leveraging the sun’s southern arch across the property in pursuit of a net-zero footprint. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the home with daylight enlivening every moment while a 7.2 kW photovoltaic system silently harvests enough energy for all of the electrical needs.
A ground source heat pump uses the earth’s thermal consistency to heat and cool spaces and provides hot water to the home. An enhanced exterior envelope combines hyper-insulation strategies in the walls (R-30) and roof (R-52) with Low-E coatings on windows to reduce heat gain and thermal loads. Integrated LED lighting and energy star appliances, an electric car-charging station, and automated, remote-access smart-home technology all combine to make this historic home still many years ahead of its contemporaries.
In designing and meeting goals and challenges we have achieved a truly sustainable home that holds continual interaction as a core value of healthy family living. As the Homeowners have stated; “the simplicity and openness of the design along with the clean views through the home allow for our full use of the interior and exterior features as a family.”
Material Used :
1. Kabi Cabinets bathroom and kitchen
2. Daltile Countops
3. Schlage Door Hardware
4. Climate Master HVAC Equipment
5. Shermain Williams Paint and Stain
6. Verisco Roofing
7. Sierra pacific Windows
