Gettliffe designs homes on ‘green’ foundation

BOULDER – Architect Dominique Gettliffe sets a high standard. He wants the residences, commercial buildings and community projects he creates to make people feel like dancing.

“Lifting spirits is a crucial element of architecture,” he said. “Even if you do everything right – sustainability, structure and functionality -you still need something else.” That ingredient is “artfulness, a sense of emotion.”

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For Gettliffe, sustainability is “part of everyday routine,” a focus throughout the design and construction process.

His interest in green building began in the early 1980s when he became involved in passive solar. The initial focus of the movement was energy savings, he said, and that sometimes resulted in a harsh environment for people. Masonry walls blocked views, for example, and glare made rooms unpleasant.

Gettliffe wanted to incorporate passive solar in a way that was more attuned to human comfort. He also sought to connect buildings with the natural environment.

In the late ’80s, Gettliffe, by then involved in construction, embraced the idea of sustainability. It encompasses using healthy materials, conserving energy, minimizing the impact on the building site and recycling construction materials.

For Gettliffe, sustainability starts with building size. A larger building inevitably uses more resources than a smaller one, he pointed out.

He strives to meet clients’ needs while minimizing square footage. Compact doesn’t mean cramped, he insisted. “You can make a space livable and enjoyable even though you keep it small,” Gettliffe said.

Design techniques can make small areas feel spacious. For example, a window at the end of a hall or the top of a flight of stairs creates the impression of space.

In Colorado, Gettliffe acknowledged, new construction will often disturb a beautiful site. He strives to “do justice” to the place. He spends time there, getting to know the site’s features and topography.

Sometimes the site itself defines a project’s central theme. For a house now under construction in South Boulder, for example, he said he “wrapped the design around a large maple tree” by creating decks and outdoor rooms.

 In some respects, Gettliffe noted, renovation and rebuilding are more challenging than new construction. “You don’t know what you’ll find when you open up the wall,” he said.

In older houses the design often didn’t take advantage of the sun or the surroundings. “They’re closed in and dark with chopped up space,” he said.

He works on opening up the house while providing proper overhangs to protect from unwanted sun. He also considers movement, flow and connections among the various spaces.

Reusing materials from the original structure, he said, is environmentally sound and also “creates a spiritual and historical dimension.”

A recent project replaced a 1948 Boulder residence with a passive solar home. Gettliffe has also renovated homes in Boulder’s historic districts and designed community projects in Romania and Congo.

He said Colorado clients want to have living and entertaining space outside. They also want inside living spaces to feel linked to the outdoors. During the summer, they need to protect living spaces from the sun. In the winter, they need to harvest heat and light from the sun.

According to the American Institute of Architects, similar forces are at work nationwide. Its recent survey found that home sizes are leveling off and investment in outdoor living space is increasing. According to Kermit Baker, the institute’s chief economist, “Rising home energy costs and concerns over affordability are resulting in a decrease in extra interior spaces that add to heating and cooling.”

Gettliffe said the same design principles apply whether a living space is indoors or outdoors. The design process begins with discussions of the clients’ dreams and wishes. Some clients compile lists or collect pictures to pinpoint what they want and what they want to avoid.

He cautions against rushing through the early stages of design. “I try not to go to drawing too fast,” he said. “The drawing takes on a life of its own.”

With clients, he reviews a checklist of green building opportunities for every phase of the project, from site planning and on-site recycling to electrical, plumbing, cabinetry and appliances. Clients consider the costs and benefits, what’s important to them and what kind of payback is acceptable.

According to a study conducted in 2003 for the California Sustainable Building Task Force, and still regarded as authoritative, green design might add 2 percent to initial costs but will, on average, save 10 times that during the life of the building.

In the six to 10 projects he takes on each year, Gettliffe includes standard specifications with numerous high-payback elements: building orientation that allows solar heating and reduces overheating potential of west-facing glass areas, illumination from daylight, and cooling via natural ventilation; high-efficiency heating; on-site recycling of scrap metal and cardboard, protection of trees and natural features during construction, and reuse of valuable topsoil.

Gettliffe Architecture PC and Gettliffe  Construction Inc.

2970 Washington St.

Boulder, CO 80304

303-449-9155

www.gettliffe.com

Dominique Gettliffe, owner

Employees: 5

Primary business: sustainable design for commercial, residential and community projects

Founded: 1998