Sustainable Design Starts with the Location

On April 27th, my wife Hanna and I purchased a small bungalow in Denver’s emerging Platt Park neighborhood with the intention of demonstrating both the economic and environmental effectiveness of what is becoming known as “green building”. Sustainable Urban Village is a green design consultant and sustainable development company we founded in order to further the gathering efforts of establishing an infrastructure for the future that is economically efficient, ecologically sensitive, and truly sustainable. We don’t believe that these dynamics are at odds. In fact, we intend to demonstrate that with the right design and implementation, building “green” can be simpler and far more cost effective than traditional contemporary standards.

The small 1,000 sq ft house we bought sits nestled 38 feet back from one of the many tree-lined streets that compose this quiet urban neighborhood. The original brick structure was built in 1914 during a time before the automobile had become ubiquitous, and neighborhoods were designed to a pedestrian scale. A few blocks to the West is a quaint commercial strip called South Pearl Street that provides a vibrance of cultural expression in comforting local forms like a coffee shop called Stella’s that offers a sun-drenched deck, a comfy book-bordered living room setting complete with couches, and free wireless internet. Pearl Street is home to some of the finest restaurants in town, a used book shop, and a small bike store to name just a few of the many locally-owned establishments that compose the neighborhood’s character. You won’t find any franchises or fast food joints here, and that’s what people like about it.




The Platt Park neighborhood represents one of the the first aspects of what it means to build sustainably. In November of this year, the city of Denver will open a new light-rail station a few blocks to the North of our house allowing pedestrian or bike access to the entire regional transportation system to include Denver International Airport. By simply walking out our door, we are offered the entirety of the city’s resources without the use of a car. And if we want to be really pure about it, we can pedal our way through Denver’s network of bike trails. At over $3/gal and climbing for gasoline, this isn’t just an environmentalist’s issue anymore. Being able to integrate with the urban fabric for the necessities of day to day life without the use of a car speaks to the bottom line of family finance.

We bought this house at a major discount due to the fact that it’s in pretty rough shape. The original brick foundation has deteriorated over the years, and the space enclosed above it consists of clogged pipes, rotted out bathroom walls, and an outdated electrical system. Despite its blemishes, the structure has solid bones, and a natural turn of the century charm. It’s a perfect candidate for a ground-up renovation that will preserve its character while updating the space for modern urban living.

Rather than opting to "scrape" the property as many developers choose to do in the area, we are planning to revive and possibly expand the property, a core principle of sustainable development. Our plan is to accomplish a complete “Eco-Enovation” by the end of the summer. Many aspects of the design will remain in flux until the demolition is finished and we can assess the integrity of the foundation more thoroughly, but at present we plan to integrate the following aspects of green design and building techniques:

1) Salvage and recycle as many building materials as possible - i.e. deconstruct rather than demolish.
2) Install large low-e glass windows and doors on the south wall to capture passive solar heat, provide natural lighting, and improve insulation in the structure.
3) Install a radiant floor heating system in a thin cement slab to heat the space and its occupants most efficiently.
4) Install at least one solar hot water panel to provide some or all of the domestic hot water and floor heating requirements.
5) Employ sustainable and healthy building materials such as architectural salvage, bamboo flooring, countertops made from recycled paper, Eco-Spec paints, recycled cotton insulation, and sustainably harvested lumber certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) to name a few.
6) Install EnergyStar rated appliances and replace all bulbs with high-efficiency halogen bulbs.
7) Install a grid-tied photo-voltaic electrical system to minimize the energy foot-print of the house and feed clean, renewable electricity back to the grid when it is not being used.

We will strive to accomplish these goals at every juncture within the smallest radius allowable, thereby minimizing the total energy footprint of the project and contributing as much as possible to the local economy.

We will use this blog to document and share what we learn during the process of the renovation. Presently, we have obtained the initial required permits and have started the demolition process to include deconstruction of reusable resources like framing lumber, fixtures, and appliances - a “green” technique in that we’re recycling, but also in that we don’t pay a dime for these resources, leaving more “green” in the budget later for things like solar panels and EnergyStar appliances. We plan to update the blog weekly and welcome any questions or comments. Enjoy!