The Nova Terra Home is a forward-looking exploration of ultra-low-carbon design, rooted in traditional craft and built entirely from healthy, natural, and salvaged materials. The structure is anchored by locally produced compressed-earth masonry blocks, forming a highly resilient, low-embodied-carbon envelope. Natural finishes, zero-toxicity materials, and a palette of recycled components reinforce the home’s mission: to demonstrate how regenerative construction can be beautiful, enduring, and accessible.
Steve Scribner
Sarah Vanderpool
Living Craft
Lopez Smolens Smith Engineers
Bright Sense
Nova Terra USA
2,763 sf
Arvada, CO
At the heart of the house, a sculptural terracotta stair curves upward as a self-supporting masonry work of art, crafted by bóvedero James Anthony, an internationally recognized master of masonry vaulting (also known as bóvedas) . This central element connects all levels and sets the tone for the home’s expressive use of authentic structural forms. A masonry barrel vault extends through the entry hall and carries forward to a vaulted porch that announces the home with quiet grandeur. Inside, a two-sided masonry stove brings warmth and visual focus to both the entry and the living room, providing radiant heating and thermal energy storage.
The design is carefully sited to embrace long views of the Flatirons while protecting and enhancing the sheltered backyard sanctuary. Large sliding doors in both the dining and living rooms create seamless indoor–outdoor flow, opening directly to patios nestled among mature deciduous and evergreen trees. A second-floor balcony and a green roof over the entry vault further enrich the home’s relationship with its landscape.
As a living demonstration project, Nova Terra showcases emerging construction systems, next-generation comfort strategies, and opportunities for collaboration across the sustainable-building community while setting a high bar for healthy, low-carbon architecture.
