Taos House

Modern green house with large windows in snowy desert landscape, surrounded by hills and trees.
Modern living area with open kitchen, dining table, and wood-burning stove. Shelves with books and kitchen island with fruit bowl. Large windows and sliding doors with outdoor view.

HIGH PERFORMANCE HOME

TYPE: New Construction, High Performance

SIZE: 1300 sf

LOCATION: Taos, New Mexico

DATE: 2011

DESIGN: Mela Breen | Atmosphere Design Build

CONTRACTOR: Group 3 Development

Photography by Brennan Studio

“Atmosphere Design Build helped us think through our needs, priorities, and budget and arrived at a design suited to our lifestyle and aesthetic. We absolutely LOVE our house! In addition to being a great design for the way we live, they created a design that is energy efficient so that our house is always very pleasant with minimal need for heating or cooling.”

— Megan Anderson

Modern kitchen and dining area with light wood cabinets, a kitchen island, and open shelves. A dining table with chairs is in the center. The floor is concrete, and there are built-in bookshelves on the right.

The brief for the project was: keep it simple. The clients, a solar electrician and an environmental lawyer, wanted a home that was energy efficient, easy to maintain, and that fit into the landscape in an unadorned manner - they wanted a design that sought economy of space and resources. They also had the future in mind, both from an environmental and design standpoint, and wanted a home that had the flexibility to adapt to the needs of their young and growing family. The design for the modest house also allows for a future addition to be easily integrated.

Close-up of icicles hanging from a metal roof with wooden and rusted beams, set against a clear blue sky.

The house employs passive heating and cooling strategies and has a super-insulated building envelope built using advanced framing techniques. A rain water catchment and gray water system were designed for water conservation in the Taos plateau mountain desert climate. Finishes were chosen for low maintenance and durability: stained concrete floors, bamboo cabinets, and “RecycleTop” countertops were used.

A 6 kw photovoltaic system provides the energy for the home and a wood stove offers back-up resilience.

Contemporary house with sloped roof and glass doors surrounded by snow-covered shrubs.