SSArchitects and Beck Building Company Achieve Lowest HERS Rating On-Record for Residence in Boulder County

PRESS RELEASE

Stephen Sparn Architects and Beck Building Company Achieve Record-Setting HERS Rating for Residence in Boulder County, Colorado.

Boulder | Avon, Colorado: May 20,2014 – Stephen Sparn Architects, PC (SSArchitects) of Boulder, Colorado and Beck Building Company of Vail, Colorado (www.beckbuilds.com) announced today that they have received the lowest HERS Rating for any home permitted in Boulder County. ‘HERS’ stands for Home Energy Rating System and is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is measured. According to Boulder County Sustainability Examiner, Ron Flax, the (-29) rating means that the home produces 29% more energy than it uses, and is currently the best on-record in Boulder County.

“We continue to spend time reviewing energy efficient systems and their economic payback to ensure their value,” says Kevin O’Donnell, President, Beck Building Company. “In this case, we had a great opportunity to add multiple levels of energy efficiency, something we love to see clients embrace,” says O’Donnell.

Construction progress 2014

The home is being constructed with a super-insulated building envelope and will incorporate a 4 kw wind turbine, 30kw photovoltaic system and a geothermal mechanical system to achieve its sub net-zero energy goals. The residence benefits from a Southern orientation that allows high performance triple glazed windows to passively allow solar energy into the living space. The super-insulated building envelope helps conserve the energy generated in the home’s active and passive systems. Heat Recovery Ventilators continuously bring in fresh air while extracting energy from stale air.

“I believe that we are still just scratching the surface of sustainable design’s potential impact in our day-to-day lives. We feel fortunate to have a client who was willing to leave no-stone-unturned when it came to their home’s energy resources. This residence demonstrates the blossoming dexterity of green-building technology, and we hope to see more like it moving into the future,” remarked Sparn.

The home is under construction and will be completed in early 2015.

ABOUT BECK BUILDING COMPANY

Celebrating their 41st year, Beck Building Company has been a leader in luxury custom home building and renovations in Colorado. Beck is guided by the goal to “continually build a legacy of trust by delivering buildings of value grounded on a supportive culture that promotes success for employees, clients and industry partners.” Beck Building Company continues to serve as both a benchmark and a groundbreaker in the industry. With a hand-crafted leadership team, a wealth of practical experience and a proven track-record of customer satisfaction, Beck’s success lies in the unique and individualized services it offers, including: personalized management, fulltime onsite supervision, ongoing client involvement including a private website for progress updates, a pool of the most skilled and competitively-priced subcontractors available, and a post-construction Customer Care program that provides Beck’s care for its projects into the future. They were recently featured in Luxe Magazine’s Gold List and their homes have been featured in top magazines such as Architectural Digest, Luxe, Mountain Living and Art & Architecture. To learn more visit www.beckbuilds.com. 

ABOUT STEPHEN SPARN ARCHITECTS

Stephen Sparn Architects, PC, (SSArchitects) is a team of Boulder architects that has delivered innovative planning and design solutions for more than 30 years. SSArchitects has sought to create environments that facilitate our relationship with nature, help us entertain, work and live comfortably. Their diverse portfolio includes custom homes, renovations, multi-family projects, mixed-use urban in-fill projects, commercial, retail and land use planning. Their work is unified by the integration of client values, commitment to quality design, sound construction and a longstanding commitment to sustainable design principles. SSArchitects’ work has been featured in Colorado Homes and Lifestyles, Mountain Living and has received multiple awards of excellence from the American Institute of Architecture (AIA). For more information and to view SSArchitects distinguished portfolio, visit www.sparn.com.