...... Colorado USA ...... Erik Sommerfeld ....
Erik Sommerfeld, Denver Colorado, USA : Glenn Murcutt Master Class 2009
[ student design build : tourist cabins : remote : forest : altitude ]
Colorado Outward Bound School Staff Micro Cabins, Leadville, Colorado
University of Colorado Denver – Colorado Building Workshop Student Design Build Program 2016
Located on a steep hillside in a pine forest, the Micro Cabins in Leadville, Colorado, were designed as micro-dormitories for the Colorado Outward Bound School. The cabins sit lightly on the landscape, elevated above the winter snow pack on steel columns. The client brief called for 21 cabins, this is the second phase of 7 insulated cabins for year-round use by staff, constructed in 2016. The first group of uninsulated cabins was built in 2015.
A group of 28 students designed and built the seven insulated cabins for year-round use. These structures were required to meet the standards of the International Energy Conservation Code climate zone 7&8 (the coldest zone in the United States). Inspired by quinzees, a snow shelter made from a hollowed out pile of snow, the students adapted the logic of “snow insulation” for their own structures.
The cabins employ structurally insulated panels (SIPs) for the walls and flat roofs. The roofs are designed to hold the snow in the winter providing an additional R-20 to R-30 on insulation depending on the depth of the snow. The super insulation of the SIPs along with the snow, small cabin footprint, and efficient LED lighting allows each structure to be powered by a single electrical circuit, highlighting the school’s commitment to the environment.
Students 2016 :
Joshua Allen, Andrew Baur, Devyn Bernal, Michael Black, Leigh Bryant, Amanda Gonzales, Anna Griffith, Jeffrey Heger, James Hillard, Kyle Hoehnen, Andrea Kelchlin, Craig Kibbe, Jesse Leddin, Amie McDermott, Tanner Morrow, Nina Najmabadi, Kyle Plantico, Christopher Powell' Genevieve Rogers, Michael Schauble, Andrew Schrag, Diana Souders, Henry Spiegel, Samantha Strang, Catrina Weissbeck, Tyler Whaley, Brittany Wheeler, Ryan Wresch
Faculty Staff :
Rick Sommerfeld, William Koning, Scott Lawrence, JD Signom, Jordan Vaughn
Structural Engineer :
Andy Paddock
Photos : Jesse Kuroiwa and Bernard Jeffers
'Rick' Sommerfeld
Colorado Building Workshop