Lofty Goals at High Elevation

In Breckenridge, Colo., at an elevation of 9,600 feet, the Panorama House Idea Home embraces both a lofty location and mile-high performance goals.

Built by Denver-based Thrive Home Builders, the expansive single-level home encompasses six bedrooms and eight bathrooms spread comfortably over 6,600 square feet of overall living space. With sweeping views of the surrounding mountains and the White River National Forest, the true essence of the project centers on lofty energy efficiency, indoor air quality, resiliency against multiple elements, and carbon neutrality goals set by Thrive.

Helming the project is Gene Myers, Thrive’s founder and Chief Sustainability Officer. Myers has long been a champion of sustainable and healthy homes, and he sees the Panorama House as a perfect opportunity to push the envelope on environmentally responsible building and apply to it a production scale. 

“Our goal as a company is to be completely carbon neutral in 2024 from our corporate operation to every home we build,” Myers says. “To get there, the Panorama House was the perfect opportunity to test new processes and technologies.”

“What we’re really about is the health of our customers and the health of our planet,” he adds. “What can we do about the health of the planet? The next step has to be carbon reduction.”

Toward the goal, Panorama House will be a net-zero, carbon neutral, all-electric home. Onsite renewable energy generation, including battery backup, will supply power to the home and keep systems and products running during outages. Comfort and indoor humidity are controlled by a forced air system that utilizes an all-electric system. 

“For years we have been using (electric) air source heat pumps with natural gas backup,” Myers says. “This (setup) will test whether the heat pumps will work in the extreme climate without fossil fuels.”

Finding alternatives to materials with high amounts of embodied carbon is key to ensuring the finished home is carbon neutral, and at the end of the project Myers plans to purchase carbon offsets, as well. 

Climate Sensitive
Extreme is an apt description of the alpine climate of Breckenridge, with an annual snowfall of over 300 hundred inches across an average of 77 days a year. The harsh winters and short summers present a significant challenge to both the home and the build schedule.

To speed up the home’s production and beat the winter weather, Thrive specified panelized wall and roof systems. That solution not only shaved the build time by almost eight months compared to onsite framing, but also significantly reduced lumber waste.

In addition, and to help meet Thrive’s performance goals for Panorama House, the wall panels’ construction uses 2x6s for the outer studs and offsets 2x4s on the inside of the sill plate, allowing for more insulation to achieve an R-40 thermal rating. The 2x6 studs also address the load bearing capacity needed for the seasonal snow load, which averages 39 inches deep. 

Contributing to both a quicker installation and reduced embodied carbon, Thrive installed an R-40 fiberglass foundation, a solution that took only five days to complete and is cost-neutral to traditional materials and methods. The foundation also is waterproof, stronger than concrete, and allows ductwork in the insulated crawlspace, Myers says.

To help protect the home against an ever-growing danger of wildfire, especially in this location, Thrive will use Class-A fiberglass roof shingles and fire-proof composite siding. 

To address the health issues associated with wildfire smoke and the home’s extremely tight thermal shell, Thrive will employ humidification and real-time radon monitoring for Panorama House to achieve EPA Indoor airPlus certification.