News and Press
All-Concrete Passive Solar Home Stores Energy in Walls
LARKSPUR, COLORADO (September 22, 2005) -- Construction is underway in Perry Park, on a passive solar all concrete high performance home designed to get the maximum benefit of state of the art insulated wall technologies.
The Greene/Cassidy Home just north of the Perry Park Country Club, is sited to make the most of the inclination of the sun, in all seasons. To save even more energy, the building shell is constructed of “Poured in Place” formed concrete walls, and features a complete building envelope of extruded polystyrene insulation sandwiched in between the concrete.
The assembly is held together with structural-grade, non-thermal bridging fiber composite connectors. This design eliminates thermal short-circuits in the walls, and creates a thermal storage capacity on the inside of the concrete building shell. The homeowners expect to benefit from substantial savings on heating and cooling costs through these strategies, as well as enjoying all of the other benefits of passive solar concrete construction.
“The colored concrete was picked to blend in with the stunning rock outcroppings around the home,” explained Jim Cassidy, from NatureNet Homes. “We are fortunate to have this opportunity to showcase the very high efficiencies possible with custom homes built with integrally insulated concrete. Concrete by itself has virtually no R-Value, but it has a great energy storage ability. By placing the insulation to the outside of the inner mass, high performance walls are created. We also like the fire resistance, durability, quietness, security and all of the other benefits of building with concrete.”
The Dow T-Mass® insulation system was installed by Concrete Foundations and Flatwork, Inc. when they erected the concrete wall assemblies. Architect is William Moore of William Moore Architects and Sprocket Design-Build. Structural Engineer is Dennis Finn of DCF Engineering, and the General Contractor is Kimber Janney of Kiva Construction, Inc. Civil Engineers are Dave Archer and Associates. Electrical contractor is Mesa Electric, and utility and site work is by Fischer Enterprises. Windsor Doors and Windows via Home Lumber. Roofing by Independent Roofing Specialists, and the Radiant Floor Heating system by Stroman Plumbing and Heating. Castle Rock Bank and First Executive Mortgage are the lenders.
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