“Green design” is a practice that is changing the way homes and buildings are built in the Denver area. WestStandard Architecture is a full service Architectural, Interior and services firm that incorporates sustainable practices in their design and construction methods. Derek Soules of WestStandard tells us more about his firm and it’s efforts to build homes and buildings with the environment in mind.
About WestStandard
“WestStandard started out as my side hustle but has evolved into a multidisciplinary firm focused on using architecture, interiors and planning to improve the architectural habitat for owners and building occupants,” Derek tells us. “Practice areas include Planning, Workplace, Retail, Mission Critical, Aviation, Mixed-Use, Energy, Hospitality, Senior Housing, Single and Multi-Family Housing.”
The firm is dedicated to providing quality design and project delivery while remaining good stewards of the environment and bottom lines. This includes designing homes that meet Colorado energy efficiency requirements. In 2007, Colorado passed a law requiring Xcel Energy and other for-profit utilities to launch energy savings programs that reduce energy waste. Since then, for-profit utilities like Xcel Energy have reduced electricity use by more than 1.6 billion kWh per year. That's equivalent to the electricity use of 210,000 typical homes.
“Every new home in Colorado has to meet energy efficiency requirements as a baseline. One common misconception is that these energy-efficient requirements restrict what is possible in a homes design. This couldn't be farther from the truth,” Derek says. “The StormShadow house we did Golden, the clients were adamant that they wanted a ton of glass so that they could take advantage of a panoramic view that extended from the nearby front range all the way to the plains that extended beyond downtown Denver. Energy requirements prescriptively require a maximum of 40% glazing per exterior wall typically. To achieve the amount of glazing the client wanted we used an energy model that allowed us to specify enhanced specifications for the glazing and provide additional insulation at key assemblies to meet the energy-efficient requirements. Not only were we able to meet the requirements we were able to present options that ranged from meeting the requirements to exceeding them by being 20% more efficient.”
Energy efficiency means reducing the amount of energy that you need to perform a particular task. When you practice energy efficiency, you increase or maintain your level of service, but you decrease the energy used to provide that service through efficient technologies.
Examples include: ENERGY STAR appliances, better insulation for buildings, more efficient windows, high-efficiency air conditioning equipment, and upgrading your light bulbs from incandescent to LED bulbs.
How can I make my home more eco-friendly?
There are many things you can do to make your home eco-friendly. Derek says reducing your carbon footprint and water conservation are the two main aspects of a homes design that will truly make an eco-friendly house.
“Energy efficiency used to be the universal definition of a green or eco-friendly home. I would argue now reducing a home's carbon footprint is more of a priority for the environment," Derek says. "I am a strong advocate for the use of solar, home batteries and electric heating and cooling systems used in conjunction. The less we can all rely on fossil fuels for heating and energy the better. It's easier than you think for a homeowner to knock their home's annual carbon footprint down close to zero.”
“Water conservation is already a hot topic when discussing growth in Colorado and Denver. There is a finite amount of water in our drought-prone state and a finite amount of legal rights to this water that local jurisdictions bid against one another for. Water and tap fees are already affecting the affordability of a home in Denver and could cap future growth at our present rate of development. So any steps we can take now by reducing irrigation and using more efficient fixtures will only help Denver in the future.”
For more information on home design and how to make your home energy efficient, visit WestStandard at www.weststandard.com.