This Passive House-certified three-bedroom home with a flexible loft space is located on the Grand Mesa in western Colorado, at the foot of Powderhorn Mountain Resort ski area. The design operates at the intersection of performance, simplicity, and context. A compact form that fits comfortably within its surroundings while orienting interior spaces toward long views, abundant natural light, and both active and passive solar gain.
Steve Scribner
Morgan Law
Griffin Triplett
Phoenix Haus
Firetower Engineers
Bright Sense
Phoenix Haus
Kylie Fitts
1,934 sf
Mesa, CO
The project serves as a prototype for low-carbon, highly efficient residential construction. The building envelope is composed of Passive House pre-certified wall panels fabricated in a factory in Grand Junction, and then assembled on-site in just five days. These vapor-open, low-embodied-carbon panels establish the home’s core performance characteristics, which are thermal stability, airtightness, and durability, while supporting a healthy indoor environment.
The high-performance building envelope allows the mechanical systems to be minimized while delivering exceptional indoor comfort. An air-source heat pump supplies radiant in-floor heating, and an ultra-efficient HRV maintains continuous, filtered fresh air. Triple-pane Alpen windows and doors contribute to both energy performance and daylighting, ensuring interior spaces remain quiet, bright, and thermally consistent throughout the year. The all-electric home is powered in part by a 6 kW photovoltaic array that enables net-zero or near-net-zero operation.
The interior layout prioritizes adaptability. In addition to the two first-floor bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a large upper-level loft functions interchangeably as sleeping area, office, or lounge. Materials are selected for durability and indoor air quality, avoiding chemical-based products and emphasizing a straightforward, modern atmosphere.
The resulting home is compact but technically rigorous—an example of how prefabrication, Passive House principles, and careful siting can work together to produce resilient, comfortable, and low-impact residential architecture.
