Tuesday, July 12, The New York Times reported on the new law which supports green energy. The energy law was enacted. It was then repealed by Republicans. Because of a vote of 233 to 193, the repeal was recently defeated. Since Democrats are the minority in the House, the defeat of the repeal shows that people desire green reform.

The two stages of the new light bulb standards have exceptions for specialty lights, candelabra lamps, three-way bulbs, and black lights. Although the new light bulbs cost more than current light bulbs, the energy savings should lower energy bills and offset the price of the new bulbs. The yearly savings could total $50.

Stage 1:

Jan 1 – 2014

25 to 30 percent more efficient

Stage 2:

2015-2020

60 percent more efficient

Learn about Trilogy Partners green designs and advanced building technologies.

Image courtesy of fficial U.S. Navy Imagery via Flickr

What images come to mind when you think of Colorado mountain homes? Are you visualizing pictures of attractive timber frame homes, stonework, natural and local materials, lots of windows, passive solar technology and homes blended naturally in to the surroundings?

Add expert financial management, sustainability and energy efficient home building to that list of images, and you will be describing the design-build philosophy of Trilogy Partners, award winning custom home builders located in Breckenridge, Colorado.

With years of experience in building custom Colorado mountain homes, Trilogy successfully manages the entire project including oversight of the design process, permitting, construction documentation, contractor coordination, and financial accounting.

Winners of the Summit County 2007 Builder of the Year Award, Trilogy Partners employs an integrated and seamless design-build process that serves the best interest of the client.  Committed to excellence in design and craftsmanship, Trilogy Partners are experienced custom home builders who micro manage all of the details, from the conceptual design phase right through to the completion of your beautiful Colorado mountain home.

Take, for example, the Trilogy Partners’ ‘Buffalo Terrace home.  Designed as a retirement home for the owners, Trilogy combined beauty, energy efficient technology, and green materials to produce a stunning illustration of the best in Colorado mountain homes, tastefully designed inside and out.  Utilizing timber frame design and meticulous attention to detail, ‘Buffalo Terrace’ proved to be a notable success.

Trilogy Partners specializes in energy efficient home building, and cutting edge sustainable architecture.  It’s more than just a design philosophy; Trilogy works to set an example of social and environmental responsibility by using new technologies and maintaining the highest eco-friendly standards.  For the best in custom home builders of Colorado mountain homes, contact Trilogy Partners.

Photo credit: Trilogy Partners

At Trilogy Partners we understand the importance of the exterior of your home blending into its natural surroundings. That is why we use timber framing and a lot of stone work so that the house can complement the backdrop on the Rocky Mountains.

Take for example our Steamboat House that we built for South Park’s Trey Parker. We built and designed this home located on a hilltop overlooking Steamboat Springs. We mixed American West design along with a traditional Japanese style and surprisingly it worked well against this mountainous terrain. The Japanese gardens and Tea House allow the homeowners to spend more time enjoying the great Colorado outdoors.

Steamboat House by Trilogy Partners

When working on our Timber Trail project, located in the prestigious Timber Trail neighborhood in Breckenridge, we had to consider the rest of the neighborhood to make sure the home was cohesive in its space. We also wanted to combine some “old world” style with the latest in sustainable design.

Timber Trail by Trilogy Partners

For more information on Trilogy Partners visit our website at works.trilogybuilds.com.

Are you waiting with bated breath for July 15^th, when the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter movies, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”, comes out in theaters? If you answered YES, you’ll want to continue reading our post.  We recently came across a great piece in Architectural Digest about the set design for the latest film. AD takes fans inside the mind of Academy Award–winning production designer Stuart Craig and gives glimpses into the brilliant scenery that will be lighting up the screen for the final Harry Potter movie.

Architectural Digest. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk

Architectural Digest. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk

Architectural Digest. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk

Architectural Digest. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk

Craig tells AD that “I love architecture, and I regard myself as a kind of architect—an architect that works in plywood, but nothing more substantial than that. We try to get the detail absolutely right. In a building as complex as Hogwarts, however, the mix of periods is absolutely permissible. We used the great Gothic cathedrals as locations in the early days. They date from the 12th to the 16th centuries. Even 19th-century Victorian Gothic elements were added. So there was no constraint in being true to architectural detail and respecting the history and form of it.”

NeoCon, the largest trade show of its kind in North America with 700 showrooms and exhibits to explore, wrapped up a couple of days ago in Chicago. The show featured some great sustainable design solutions, and Inhabitat has roundup of some of the highlights. Check out the best of NeoCon’s green offerings below.

Wool Clouds designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Kvadrat, available in North America through Haworth.

3Form Gecko tiles are applied with water and give a bright pop of color, as well as privacy, to existing glass installations.

Vienta Wall Tiles by Arktura are durable enough for use both inside and outside.

What do you think of these eco-friendly design innovations? How important is sustainable design to you? At Trilogy Partners, we build custom homes with an eye to sustainability as well as style. Contact us today and let us help you go green!

images via Inhabitat

We specialize in sustainable building at Trilogy Partners, and these days there are so many ways to create a completely custom home that is beautiful, functional, and eco-friendly. We encourage our clients to embrace sustainable design, and this year we are proud to build Breckinridge, Colorado’s first Zero Net Energy home! If you want to conserve energy and help the planet, check out these energy-saving tips from The Daily Green.

• Water heaters are usually set to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, but most households don’t need to use that much steam. By turning your water heater down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, you can save from 6-10% on your energy bill.
• Storm doors and windows can increase the energy efficiency of your home by 45%.
• Don’t pay for what you don’t use. In most households, 50-70% of energy expenditures go to heating and cooling, so when you leave the house, turn the thermostat up in the summer and down in the winter.
• Make sure your home is well insulated. There are federal tax credits available for installing highly efficient insulation.
• Choose a green building professional with experience in designing sustainable, energy-efficient homes.

If you are looking for a custom design-build firm to help you create a sustainable home, contact Trilogy Partners today!

photo via Flickr

Inhabitat reports that Steve Jobs has recently unveiled some rather unique plans for a new Apple campus. Jobs presented the plans at the Cupertino, California city council meeting, revealing designs for a “new clean energy spaceship-shaped campus.”

The design should allow Apple to fit more employees on their current plot of land, while also creating 350% more green space. The facility will have its own low-emissions power plant, and will only use grid power in case of a brownout. Parking will be located under the structure, and the company has hired an arborist to help select indigenous plants to add to the greenspace.

This is a really unique project, so it will be interesting to see more as the facility is constructed, assuming of course that the Cupertino city council approves the plans! Take a look at some images of the facility, below.

If you are interested in sustainable design and are looking for a world-class architecture firm to help you create a home that combines green convictions with personal style, contact our Colorado firm, Trilogy Partners, specializing in custom home design and construction.

images via Inhabitat

Solar panels have been big in the sustainable design and building industry for quite a while now, and this previously inaccessible technology has been getting more effective and affordable with every passing year.

According to Inhabitat, a Tokyo company called Smart Solar International has just developed an impressive new solar panel that “chases” the sun! These solar panels are made of aluminum mirror bars which rotate throughout the day to face the sun and absorb the optimal amount of energy. These new solar panels use much less silicon than previous models of photovoltaic cell panels, keeping costs down.

The article quotes Takashi Tomita, the head of the company, who says, “You can get both electricity and heat from the same device,” because the panel has an overheating safeguard that channels extra warmth and uses it to heat water. This is definitely exciting news for the sustainable building industry.

If you are looking for a custom home builder in the Colorado mountain region and want to embrace sustainable design practices, contact Trilogy Partners today!

photo via Inhabitat

While the rest of the country is experiencing high temperatures moving into summer season, Colorado’s climate is very moderate. Here in Colorado you can enjoy the best of both worlds, skiing in the winter and biking and hiking in the summer. Whatever time of year our residents are always outdoors experiencing all that the Rockies have to offer.

If you are looking to build a second home or vacation getaway you should consider majestic Colorado. Our mountainous terrain is the perfect backdrop for you future home site. At Trilogy, we can help build you the vacation home of your dreams. We have the experience and knowledge of working and building homes in the Rocky Mountain region.

For more information on building in Colorado please contact Trilogy at 970-453-2230 or visit us online at works.trilogybuilds.com.

This week, The Guardian’s Environmental Blog featured a story on the increasing number of New York City buildings with green rooftops. Aside from simply improving the view, these designs also improve the environment in the city know for its towering skyscrapers.

The green rooftop movement is still small, but it has put the idea and design on the mind of many architects lately. These architects have actually started including green rooftops in the designs of new buildings throughout the five boroughs instead of including them as an after-thought.

Analysts have cited green rooftops as a big help to absorb up to 70% of the excess rainwater that would otherwise runoff, causing drain systems in the city to flood with sewage.

Tax incentives and the environmental movement are helping New York City to catch up with cities like Chicago that embraced the green rooftop years ago. As more resources become available and costs go down, even more builders and architects will get in on the game. Green rooftops save so much money in the long run, they can be found in most LEED-certified buildings.

What do you think of the green rooftop movement? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Photo courtesy of The Guardian Environmental Blog