Located in the eclectic neighborhood of the Pine Meadow Ranch subdivision, the client came to Atelier Jörg Rügemer with the task to explore a 2-acre parcel that they had fallen in love with for buildability. With an average steep slope of 35%, the need for a septic system, the desire for a highly efficient building, and only a small road that accesses this part of the development, we successfully investigated all items in question and important for the clients to take a decision towards purchasing the land. The design brief for the small building included a 1,000 SF garage, with an approximately 1,200 SF, 2-bedroom housing unit on top. The parcel provides breathtaking views into the Uinta mountains to the east, and a very good passive solar winter potential to the south and south-east. Anyhow, driveway access is challenging, and the project must go through a Low-Impact permit before the team can dive into the further Design Development. 

As part of the general design strategy, the building is perfectly designed and aligned to the preexisting site conditions, focusing on minimizing impact onto the land, and maximizing passive solar orientation and view corridors in harmony with the program and other client desires. After extensive building mass iterations, the best solution presented itself as a development where the driveway logically follows the topographic conditions, gaining elevation along the elongation of the topo lines, with the building naturally nestled into the slope following the same orientation. The result is the best compromise between minimal land disturbance and maximizing views, with a little limitation regarding the building’s passive solar heat gain since the long façade follows the landform and not the maximum winter sun exposure. Anyhow, the latter would have come with considerably more excavation that would have been necessary to turn the upper two stories entirely towards the south, with the embodies energy buried in such most likely not being recoverable over the lifetime of the building.

Project Blackboard: 

Pre-Schematic Design Explorations: Summer 2022

Design: Fall 2022 - ongoing

December 2022: Low Impact Permit application

Building size: 1,445 SF

Lot size: 2 acre

Designed to Passive-to-Active House Standard for 8,000' Elevation

Architecture and Energy Performance Simulation: Atelier Jörg Rügemer

Client: Chase Nuttall, Leah Bradley

Contractor: Millcreek Construction, Salt Lake City

Structural Engineering: Iridum AE, Murray, Utah

Net Zero Mechanical Technology: TBD 

Photo credits: Atelier Jörg Rügemer