GREGORY CREEK RESIDENCE
GREGORY CREEK RESIDENCE Project Type: Single-Family Residential Program Summary: The clients chose a site situated along a natural creek habitat with varied wildlife such as deer, raccoons, bear, bird (including birds of prey), and at times, mountain lions. Enjoying this proximity to nature was a priority, but they also wanted to keep their many pets safe from the dangers that lurk in the wild. Because this lush natural environment is located to the West and North of the home site, the program called for a super-insulated home that could meet stringent energy-efficiency goals while allowing sufficient visual connection to the site’s primary amenities. Another priority was creating a home that would allow the owners to comfortably “age in place.” Project Completion Date: July 2018 Project Location: Boulder, Colorado Details pertinent to the AIA 10 Principles of Livable Design on a Human Scale: This home is an expression of a universal paradox – being part of nature, yet wanting protection Communities: from nature. The scaling and conceptual design of the home offer a resolution to this paradox: the human being as sheltered inhabitant of the forest. Provide Choices: Options are provided on multiple levels: life stage options range from fully independent, to accommodation of potential disability, to the possibility of on-site live-in assistance. Seasonal changes and choices are recognized in providing varied paces for living in response to the fluctuations of sun and nature. There are also various options within a given space to allow more or less connection with the outdoors. Protect Environmental Resources and Conserve Landscapes: This design preserves the natural environment and wildlife habitat of the site, and meets high standards of energy efficiency and sustainability. Design Matters: The design of this home is an expression of integration on multiple levels. There was an effort to integrate the values mentioned above with the identity and needs of the clients, who were closely involved throughout the process. We sought to integrate connection to nature with protection from nature. The conceptual principles guiding the lines, volumes and opening of the home integrate with the experience of being inside the home: visual connections to nature, the sheltering roof and a changing lightscape within the home all contribute to a continuity between the indoors and outdoors.
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Project Narrative The Gregory Creek Residence is located in a lush copse of trees along the green corridor of Gregory Creek in Boulder. Inspired by a program that emphasized both inclusion in and protection from this rich, wild environment, the image of a cluster of mushrooms became an early metaphor – a home emerging from the soil as part of the forest undergrowth to create shelter for a safe retreat. The roof line expresses this reaching or growth and provides a protective canopy for the layers underneath. The roof is created by two expansive planes, with ridges oriented at 45 degrees to the squares of the footprint. The volumes of the home are informed by these planes, with an interior layout responsive to the angled ceiling heights. Most of the house is open overhead to these roof planes, and the sense of their sheltering presence is reinforced by the continuity of the wood ceilings with the soffits. The home’s openings express two divergent themes. Larger openings to the West and North relate to the trees or landscaped environment. To the East and South, the continuity of narrower openings is designed to admit sunlight rather than offer views. Spaces throughout the home receive morning light regardless of the season. Daylighting is enhanced by the entrance of light from three different directions. Each layer of the home relates differently to the surrounding natural environment. The lower level emerges from grade to connect with the forest floor and ground-level plant life. The main level looks over the creek, into the trees, and beyond the landscaped yard. The upper level provides the most intimate connection, with a sense of nesting within the branches and foliage of the trees. Overall an open visual flow connects those in the home to the creek and its creatures, while offering protection via the use of cantilevers. Specific features: • • • • • • •
An Accessory Dwelling Unity (ADU) occupies the lower level, providing independent apartment living for an eventual in-home assistant. An elevator provides access to all three levels. Super insulated walls (2x8 cavities) and in-floor radiant heating provide thermal stability, energy-efficiency and comfort. The home contains a 3.15 kilowatt solar photovoltaic array. A designated “four-seasons room” provides a porch-like environment, with large-scale sliding windows on three sides providing connection to the outdoors. The room is cantilevered over the foundation walls, and provides protection from intruding wildlife. A protected patio in front of the home creates a warm pocket within the home’s southern exposure, offering a sunny space for outdoor dining in cooler months. A peninsular deck to the North side of the home offers views of the trees and creek inhabitants. It is set over cantilevers to keep it inaccessible to visiting wildlife. Interior detailing and design emphasize simplicity, in contrast to the profusion of nearby nature.
The design of the home was developed through an organic process. It evolved with ongoing client participation, was nurtured by in-studio group design sessions, and fine-tuned during a collaborative construction process.
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design concept: “undergrowth�
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exploration of roof geometry
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3-dimensional conceptual model
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site location
N
175 ft.
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40 ft.
site layout
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C
B
C
B
10 16 22
16
16
A
14
22
21
16
C A
20 B
B
19
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roof layout
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ENTRY MUDROOM POWDER LAUNDRY LIVING KITCHEN ALL SEASONS BEDROOM
9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
BATHROOM MASTER SUITE MASTER BATH VESTIBULE GARAGE ELEVATOR MECHANICAL DECK
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12
C A
20
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
A
17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.
CRAWLSPACE WINDOW WELL DRIVEWAY PATIO SOLAR ARRAY GREGORY CREEK
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0
20 ft.
upper level layout (440 sq. ft.)
C
B
C
B
18 7 22
16
8
A
14
14
22
4
16 6
8
18
12
1
5
6
5
9
15
9
A
1
13
2
17
3 C
C
A
4
20 B
A
B
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
ENTRY MUDROOM POWDER LAUNDRY LIVING KITCHEN ALL SEASONS BEDROOM
main level layout (1,660 sq. ft.)
9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
BATHROOM MASTER SUITE MASTER BATH VESTIBULE GARAGE ELEVATOR MECHANICAL DECK
17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.
CRAWLSPACE WINDOW WELL DRIVEWAY PATIO SOLAR ARRAY GREGORY CREEK
N
0
20 ft.
lower level layout (850 sq. ft.)
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1
6 17
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
ENTRY MUDROOM POWDER LAUNDRY LIVING KITCHEN ALL SEASONS BEDROOM
section AA
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9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
BATHROOM MASTER SUITE MASTER BATH VESTIBULE GARAGE ELEVATOR MECHANICAL DECK
17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.
CRAWLSPACE WINDOW WELL DRIVEWAY PATIO SOLAR ARRAY GREGORY CREEK
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20 ft.
5 6
5
18
10
11 20
1 17
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
ENTRY MUDROOM POWDER LAUNDRY LIVING KITCHEN ALL SEASONS BEDROOM
section BB
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9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
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BATHROOM MASTER SUITE MASTER BATH VESTIBULE GARAGE ELEVATOR MECHANICAL DECK
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17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.
14 12
7 8
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CRAWLSPACE WINDOW WELL DRIVEWAY PATIO SOLAR ARRAY GREGORY CREEK
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20 ft.
section CC
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view from the south/streetside
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view from the northeast/back side
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view from bedroom
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main living space
all-seasons room
to upper level
to lower level
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upper level bedroom
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powder room
views of the creek side
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evening views: from the south
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evening views: from the east and northeast
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PROJECT TEAM General Contractor:
Jeff Becker Construction
Structural Engineer:
PO Box 242 Lyons, CO 80540 p. 303.823.6936 e. jeffbeckerconstruction@hotmail.com www.jeffbeckerconstruction.com
Interior Designer:
Creative Design Solutions
1121 Broadway, Suite 201 Boulder, CO 80302 p. 303.444.8545 e. mail@gebau.com www.gebau.com
Lighting Designer:
6897 Paiute Ave. Suite 6 Niwot, CO 80503 p. 303.652.6111 e. patti@cdsstudio.com www.cdsstudio.com
Civil Engineering:
Scott, Cox & Associates
Sustainably Built
Element Architectural Lighting Boulder, CO p. 720.560.4931 e. ebynum@elementlighting.com www.elementlighting.com
Landscape Design
1530 55th Street Boulder, Colorado 80303 p. 303.444.3051 e. ash@scottcox.com
Energy Consultant:
Gebau, Inc.
Native Designs Landscapes Lyons, CO p. 310.560.1099 e. anthearice@hotmail.com
Photography:
David Lauer Photography p. 303.997.6042 e. david@davidlauerphotography.com www.davidlauerphotography.com
PO Box 7411 Boulder, CO 80306 p. 303.447.0237 www.sustainablybuilt.com
Boulder, Colorado
Managua, Nicaragua
3014 Bluff Street, Unit 101 Boulder, Colorado 80301 p. 303.449.9155 e. info@gettliffe.com www.gettliffe.com
Km 12.8 Carretera Masaya Managua, Nicaragua p. 303.242.5356 e. info@gettliffe.com www.gettliffe.com