A Resilient House in Texas Raises the Bar on Home Performance

Lake City, Colo., Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The VISION House Austin, meticulously designed by internationally renowned architect Peter Pfeiffer and his Austin-based Barley|Pfeiffer Architecture team, has been designed for optimal climate responsiveness using passive solar design to maintain a comfortable indoor environment. 

lan Barley and Pfeiffer, co-owners of the firm, are big believers in layering. They start with a deep study of the site they’re working with and design a home that complements the location and their client’s preferences. Next, they layer in sustainable products and systems that will enhance the performance of a well-designed and carefully built home.

Because this house needs to perform well in a hot climate, the design team selected products that would hold up to the heat. They also leaned on design to achieve performance, such as overhangs to create shade and positioning each house appropriately on its site. They also focus on innovations that have made it easier to build a resilient, sustainable, high-performance house.

“The intelligent design enhances energy efficiency by reducing the heating and cooling load,” Green Builder CEO Sara Gutterman explains. “Resilient materials increase the home’s ability to withstand nature’s fury. And an integrated solar + battery storage system ensures that the house will remain functional in the event of an extreme climate event or power outage.” 

Most important, Gutterman notes, is that the VISION House Austin demonstrates how sustainable architecture can be affordable and practical for everyday living, and that a home with lower carbon footprint can lead to a higher quality of life for homeowners.

The design team of VISION House Austin is dedicated to combining new innovations with their decades of experience to create a home that embraces the natural world and contributes to sustainability. Click here to read about the beautiful, durable, and low-maintenance products the team specified to make the house resistant to climate extremes.

The home will be completed in first quarter 2025. Click here to visit the VISION House Austin site to learn more.  You can follow along as the project is built by signing up for Green Builder Media’s Vantage enewsletter here. 

Here’s a sampling of the high-performance products used in this project: 

• A super-efficient building envelope from Henry, a Carlisle company, designed to maximize the home’s energy efficiency and weather resistance.
• A reflective metal roof and radiant barrier from Fabral.
• Resilient fiber cement siding, trim, and soffits from James Hardie.
• A variable speed heat pump HVAC system and intelligent ComfortLink II controller from Trane Technologies.
• High-performance windows and doors from Andersen made with recycled wood-fiber.
• Beautiful and durable engineered wood flooring from Armstrong made in the U.S.A.
• Low-carbon, durable composite decking made from 60% post-industrial scrap from TimberTech.
• Elegant and strong ceramic tile, porcelain tile, and countertops from Crossville Tile.
• Energy and water-conserving smart appliances from GE Profile.
• Smart home system, demand-side energy management technology, and battery storage from Savant.
• A water conditioner, fresh air ventilation control, and power damper from Field Controls

About Green Builder Media

Green Builder Media is North America’s leading media company focused on green building and sustainable living content. With a comprehensive suite of content marketing, digital, social, and print media options, high-profile demonstration projects, market intelligence, data services, and live events, Green Builder Media offers a blend of visionary and practical information covering a broad spectrum of topics, including decarbonization, electrification, smart home technologies, energy efficiency, intelligent water, indoor air quality, resilient housing, renewables, and clean transportation.

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