Bonsai Design Build __________________________________________________________________________________________
Congress Park here in Denver. The location is in a landmark building district, so we had to work with the landmark district to make sure we are not destroying the façade and the windows fit seamlessly with the existing building. We rehabilitated the exterior and completely gutted the interior of the building. From the outside you wouldn’ t know anything had happened and then inside you have a brand-new modern home with all the amenities, including new insulation, new windows, air seal, there is a new kitchen, we also vaulted the attic, so it has a mezzanine. It was a beautiful project that we are very proud of.”
Josh goes on to outline some of the innovative techniques the company has adopted in response to the growing demand for sustainable solutions to common challenges homebuilding faces:“ We have done several projects where the house is attached to a greenhouse. This approach builds on the principles utilized by Earthship™ buildings. The benefits of incorporating the greenhouse include providing a passive heat sink, air filtration, and a means to easily grow food. We’ re also exploring ways to utilize greenhouse additions to recreate wetland processes to process sewage.
Efficiency principles
“ We also use Passivhaus principles. This is a system that was developed in Germany, but there is now a US version. When all the requirements are met you are left with a super-efficient building that doesn’ t leak or lose energy. We can apply these principles to a wide range of buildings all the way up to the full extent of Passivhaus construction. Remarkably these buildings don’ t require much energy. As people, we are cooking, showering, boiling water, and so on, and
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