Project Profile: Santa Fe Passive House
Design challenge:
The main challenge with this project was to create a design that worked with the topographic slope constraints of the site, while also incorporating the magnificent views of the client’s desert garden and the Santa Fe ski slopes. The design team decided to drop the garage underground and use its rooftop as a patio from where residents can take in the sweeping views and also access the entryway of the house. The design is bold, yet nestles nicely into the hillside, blending well with its surroundings.
According to Karcher, elegantly incorporating maximum energy efficiency was a major driving force in the design. “We wanted large windows framing the views to the ski valley to the east but needed enough south facing windows to harvest the free solar gains to meet the client’s energy efficiency goals.” This was accomplished by clerestory windows, which at the same time bring sunlight into the northern part of the house. Varying ceiling heights and long view lines inside the house evoke a generous feeling of space, even though the house is relatively small.
“We used the Zola ThermoPlus Clad line, because it offers the best performance to price ratio, and the clients love real wood windows. You can see the European craftsmanship, feel how solid they are, and their triple gaskets provide excellent air tightness,” adds Karcher.
“We used both Zola fixed and tilt & turn windows. I love tilt & turns because venting can happen so elegantly and the tilt position is easier on the hardware compared to a casement window. Cleaning is also easier, because in the turn position you can do it all from the inside without stepping outside your house. It was easy for our client to adapt and I think Americans will embrace them once they see how well they can handle them and how much better tilt & turn windows are.”
The client wanted a house that was not too big, yet safe, efficient in its use of space, ultra-low in energy usage, very comfortable, and built with healthy materials. This Passive House designed with Zola windows and doors and pioneered in New Mexico, achieved a reduction of 90% in heating and cooling energy use while also opening up the house to gorgeous views of the surrounding desert garden.
What makes this project outstanding?
The house shows that you can have it all: comfort, high-end custom design, world class energy efficiency, and a small carbon footprint. The passive house approach makes all this possible and there is no need for an enormous solar electric system. The super insulated building shell requires only a minuscule amount of energy. It features innovative and cutting-edge technologies such as a whole house ventilation system with up to 95% heat recovery and air filtration and a new air-to-water heat pump, which provides in-floor heating and cooling.
Design theory and focus:
The client is the main focus, and then the response to the location. “Our designs do not adhere to a pre-conceived style. We let them emerge out of the task at hand and find solutions that inspire. We love to break conventional rules and shatter the mold, always seeking the unexpected,” states passive house designer Joaquin Karcher.
Favorite products:
Cellulose insulation (recycled newspaper), earthen materials like adobe, rammed earth, mud plasters and natural pigment clay washes (“aliz”), healthy house and Bau-Biologie sound products, Zola windows and doors. Karcher’s favorite Zola product is the Zola ZNC line: “I am waiting for a project that has the budget to afford such an outstanding window.”
Designer Biography:
Joaquin Karcher was trained in Germany and graduated with the title Dipl. Ing. Architekt. He looks back on a long career, which evolved from the early ecological projects in the 1980s, to natural building and passive solar/ adobe construction, before he became a pioneer in the Passive House movement. In 2006, before the Passive House was known in the US, Joaquin studied this new energy standard in Germany. His office entered yet another new phase when it developed and adapted this concept for the climate, materials and construction practices of the American Southwest.
With a new name and a new focus, Zero E Design has been planning projects that break through to new dimensions of efficiency while incorporating healthy house practices and natural materials. His experience, design quality and service make him the first name in Zero Energy Homes in Santa Fe and Taos.
575.758.9741
Design & Planning: Joaquin Karcher and Steve McCormick of Zero E Design Window & Door Package: Zola’s ThermoPlus Clad. Exterior Finish: Classic Style Aluminum Profile in Chocolate Brown. Interior Finish: Finger-jointed Pine with Clear Finish