SUSTAINABILITY
Berglund Architects is committed to providing and promoting environmentally responsible design. Clients are always encouraged to incorporate super insulation, energy efficient, sustainable, and healthy indoor building practices into their projects. The firm has incorporated gray water recycling; rainwater harvesting; photovoltaic (PV) solar for electricity generation; hot water solar for domestic hot water and radiant heating; passive solar heating and cooling; and geothermal and electric heat pump heating and cooling into its recent homes. Most homes the firm designs incorporate at least 50% more insulation than a typical code-built home via high performance windows; cellulose and/or closed cell spray foam insulation in wall and roof cavities; and continuous rigid foam insulation on the exterior walls and roof. The staff spends extensive time researching new but tested cost-effective environmental products and building practices.
The firm is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and has designed eight LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects representing all the various certification levels. Two completed homes are Energy Star and LEED certified and use about half the energy of a typical code-built home. Three other homes achieved LEED Silver, and two other net zero homes received LEED Platinum Certification, the highest level of certification possible. One of these net zero platinum homes features closed cell spray foam cavity and continuous rigid exterior insulation throughout, a PV solar system with extensive back up battery system, and a geothermal heating and cooling systems; while the other achieved net zero energy consumption per its similar super insulation, passive solar design, and PV and hot water solar systems. The firm also designed all-electric LEED certified office and classroom buildings. The mixed-use building has an extensive PV solar system for a local non-profit that was designed to be net zero capable in the future per the addition of future solar panels when fund raising allows. The 1,500 SF remote net zero field studies classroom building has an extensive Tesla battery system that will run the building off the grid.
Berglund Architects has also designed four highly sustainable homes in the Caribbean to minimize the need for air conditioning and public provided water through a holistic approach that included ventilated and insulated roofs; large overhangs to shade the houses from the sun; 16” thick masonry walls to moderate temperature extremes; carefully planned high performance low-e coated windows and doors for cross ventilation and to block UV light and solar heat; large covered outdoor living spaces that capture prevailing breezes and incorporate fountains to create natural evaporative cooling to reduce the amount of required air conditioned interior space; rain water harvested from the metal and concrete tile roofs for domestic water needs; and the use of gray water from on-site sewer treatment systems for landscape irrigation.
Berglund Architects is highly focused on creating beautiful healthy indoor living environments and specifies low and non-VOC paints, stains, glues, and sealer; air to air heat exchangers to provide a continuous supply of fresh air; and durable hard flooring surfaces that do not trap dust and pollutants. It is also committed to using durable long lasting low maintenance products as well as reclaimed, local, and recycled products.
Berglund Architects further strives to minimize its business practices’ impacts on the environment and its local community by donating approximately 1% of revenue to nonprofits that support environmental causes, the local Vail Valley Community, and people in need in general. Since 2004, this money has been donated to environmental and nonprofit groups including 1% for the Planet, the Eagle Valley Land Trust, the Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability, the Eagle Valley Water Shed Council, the Walking Mountains Science Center, of which Hans and Alix Berglund are past board members, the Vail Valley Foundation, of which Hans is a past board member, and First Descents which supports young adults with cancer, of which Alix Berglund is a board member.
Berglund Architects long lasting durable functional projects are also inherently sustainable as people will take care of its beautiful functional buildings because they value them. The least sustainable building is one which gets prematurely torn down because it does not function, or people do not value it.
