An Artist's Spanish Colonial Home Shines in One of Colorado's Sustaining Developments
GARNA -- The Greater Arkansas River Nature Association -- recently hosted
a "Living Green" Home Tour. All 10 homeowners who opened their doors
to visitors had embraced either all or many of the benchmarks outlined
by the U.S. Green Building Council on how to build responsibly.
A Santa Fe-based tile artist and her husband built this Spanish Colonial courtyard home above in Buena Vista, Colorado's South Main Development. It was featured on the GARNA tour. The door to the left is the entrance into the main house. The home that appears to be next door is a rental or guest cottage. A large courtyard behind the stucco wall unites the dwellings.
According to Architect Kenny Craft, who is part of the South Main Development team, this Spanish Colonial home features insulated concrete forms, structural insulated panels, reclaimed hardwood floors and timbers. His Web page says they specialize "in authentic, traditionally rooted architecture in an urban context."
As an aside, the South Main Development in Buena Vista, CO, was founded by two siblings who happen to be the children of the couple building the Spanish Colonial featured in this post. A previous LWYL -- Love Where You Live -- article introduced the "live-where-you-work" community by toasting the artist who owns the home being shown today. If you'd like to see her amazing tile work -- one-of-a-kind outdoor furniture -- please click here. You won't be disappointed. Very cool stuff! Here's a video of her at work: Just click.
Moving forward from the short digression . . . .
The artistic homeowner incorporated her original tile work into the lower window facade.
The trees are young Aspens.
She also found the following additional accent places for her tile work. So, before we move on to discussing the components of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program, take a look:
The "rug" is actually made of tile.
A different window with another nature-inspired design.
This tile work celebrates the Arkansas River, which is a block away from this house,
and the Aspens that fill the forests. They used river rock and topped the chimney
with twin clay flues.
Tile work embellishes the steps leading up to the guest/rental house.
As you notice, she also embedded them into the stuccoed columns.
Close up of the tile on the risers.
It's all in the details. And for the USGBC -- U.S. Green Building Council -- that would mean incorporating at least one, if not all, of eight principles they outline for responsible construction.
The USGBC is a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built, and operated. USGBC is best known for the development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system.
LEED measures the following:
1. Indoor Environmental Quality.
Indoor air is sometimes two to five times worse than outside. A LEED-designed home minimizes explosure to toxins and pollutants. (If you wonder how that could be, check out here why your flooring selection might be making you sick. From Green America Organization.)
2. Energy Efficiency.
How effective are your appliances? Those sanctioned by Energy Star can reduce energy consumption up to 30 percent. Now, think of the impact if EVERYONE did this one thing: Replace your old with high Energy Star rankings.
3. Water Conservation.
Wasteful water is both costly and risky, particularly as population growth and a changing climate make clean, safe water increasingly scarce. A LEED home finds creative ways to conserve water. (Check out water-saving toilets.)
4. Site Selection.
The real estate adage about location, location, location being your number one criterion is true when it comes to building green. LEED encourages homes that are close to schools, work, shopping and transit stops. (This is where the South Main Development project is especially strong. (Check them out here.)
5. Site Development.
Employ construction practices that protect area wildlife, natural resources, and encourages proper drainage.
6. Materials Selection.
Use reclaimed or sustainable materials (such as wood for your floors and cabinets) or those from recycled products (such as plastic and glass) when building.
7. Residents' Awareness.
Be informed about the construction process.
8. Innovation.
Find innovative ways to increase a home's performance. (One home I visited but was still under construction but had large deep planters formed in one indoor room. The homeowners plan to grow and harvest certain foods throughout the year. While it's cold outside, the sun is typically hot and plentiful. Builder/Designer: Natural Habitats)
More photos of the one particular Spanish Colonial courtyard house on the Living Green tour:
The homeowners elected to maximize the space of a smallish room by
building a desk of reclaimed wood and attaching it to the window frame.
How about devising a headboard made of reclaimed material? This one is wood.
Here's a green idea: Hire a local artisan to use reclaimed materials to create
the details, such as this one, that make a home so creative and unique.
Go green: Use a product, such as the river rock on this fireplace, that can be obtained locally or nearby.
Another idea: Use corrugated metal as the eaves covering. Take
a look beyond the doors here.
To protect your indoor air quality, consider using non-toxic paints. See Eartheasy's guide.
In keeping with the dark trim used throughout this house, the owners opted to go dark on the closets, too.
An upstairs view to the living room.
Old beams were selected for the ceiling.
Hope this gives you some food for thought when building and remodeling your own home.
Talk to me. I love it when you do!
