Kirsten Snobeck awarded 40 Under 40 by BizWest

Kirsten Snobeck, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP has been with Rodwin Architecture for over 8 years and is the lead designer and Project Manager on many of our projects.  Kirsten has a creative, responsible and inquisitive nature, a keen eye for details and a rigorous commitment to quality from start to finish.  She has shared her deep knowledge of local codes by co-teaching our “Understanding the Rules for Building in Boulder” to hundreds of realtors over the last 4 years. Kirsten has a passion for and expertise in historic preservation and sustainability and has spearheaded our work on numerous noteworthy local buildings including the Whittier Elementary School and the LEED Platinum Farmhouse.  She has just been recognized by BizWest Magazine as one of their 40 Under 40 “best and brightest emerging leaders” in Colorado.   Finally, we are doubly pleased to announce that she has also been named our first ever Senior Associate.

Function Meets Beauty

Farmhouse recently made waves in the press with Boulder Lifestyles’ publication of our LEED Platinum home! Read more to find out about our client’s vision for their home, and how Scott Rodwin and the team was able to make it a reality.

http://www.boulderlifestylepubs.com/2015/07/27/function-meets-beauty-a-right-sized-green-home/

Top Green Materials and Practices

Here is an article featuring our President, Scott, as he discusses green building. Material selections and heating/cooling systems are just as important as dealing with site waste disposal months later. Take a look at these 11 steps of utilizing green materials and practices that we think are worth prioritizing.

Re-building after the Flood

Home and Hood Magazine – Rebuilding after the flood. Huy Lam dug his shovel into the deep sand and continued to excavate the buried play-structure in what used to be his family’s back yard. Twenty feet away, the creek that used to be on one side of the house now flowed swiftly down the other. When the stream moved, it dumped hundreds of tons of sand and rock all over his property and it tore away a good chunk of the house.

“I’m not sure what comes next. It all depends on what the County decides to do with the creek”, Huy said between shovels.

For six months from the time of the flood, the County is allowing flood victims to bypass the daunting Site Plan Review process (as long as the re-constructed house is the same size as the original), but all new construction must still meet all local building codes. The green building codes are some of the most rigorous in the Country, and many of the older homes that were damaged will require a substantial upgrade to their envelope and mechanical systems in order to meet them.

The Lams have a long way to go before they can get back into their home: County reviews; navigating insurance and mortgage requirements; figuring out how to best rebuild with the insurance settlement; getting a building permit; re-building the house; moving back in; and perhaps most important of all, repairing the land that made them want to live in this beautiful, but (every 500 years) dangerous place in the first place.

We are currently assisting them to reconstruct their home to begin living after the flood.

Gunung Mas Ranch

Gunung Mas Ranch is just outside of Gold Hill. The 3795 s.f. contemporary mountain style home features 360 degree views over the Switzerland Trail and Indian Peaks Wilderness. A passive solar design, photovoltaic array, excellent windows and insulation, a high-efficiency mechanical system (including an ERV), combine to create an energy-efficient HERS 40 home (uses 60% less energy than allowed by code). We worked carefully to incorporate the existing historic features on this mountain ranch, framing remnants of existing quartz walls in a landscaped courtyard, and restoring and Landmarking the original homestead. The new home includes an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings, large outdoor decks, and rustic yet contemporary finishes.

Boulder Lifestyle Magazine – Click Here

Energy Efficiency Article: Boulder County Home & Garden

As the cold weather settles in, we would like to share this article we wrote for BCH&G.  In it we offer our Top 10 Tips for how to improve the energy-efficiency and thermal comfort of your home.

Standing seam metal roofs, tan stucco walls, wood columns, and natural stone accents blend in to the mountain site, covered in wild grasses, moss-covered boulders, and tall ponderosa pines. Except for the landscape, hardscape, front door and exterior patio railings, the outside of the home is now complete.