The Boise Passive House, perched above a steep slope overlooking the Idaho city's Crestline Ridge, sits on the edge between urban and rural. The project, designed by San Francisco-based Haas Architecture, headed by Christopher Haas, was a commission for a family of five's 'forever' home – and sought to work with the site's existing ecology while bringing in purpose-driven, contemporary design.
Boise Passive House: modern, environmental design
Subtly weaving sustainable architecture principles that ensure the new home is sensitive to its environment, the design team orientated the views towards the Owyhee mountain range in the distance for maximum visual effect in the living experience.
'Sustainability, resilience, well-being and preserving the native ecology as core values, acted as the driving force of the project’s design and net-zero goals,' the architects write.
Making use of orientation, careful material selection and massing in order to reduce the building site's and home's overall energy consumption were priorities during the design. The architecture is enhanced, as opposed to compromised, by such an approach, the architects highlighted.
'The project’s uniquely shaped roof (derived from extensive 3D solar modelling), leverages passive fundamentals, by optimising the sun’s free energy. The design allows the home to embrace the sun’s winter warmth while restricting summer solar heat gain, as the roof tracks the sun’s seasonal paths to optimise solar benefits.'
Working towards the same goal, the use of pre-fabricated components (SIP – Structural Insulated Panels – and ICF – Insulated Concrete Forms) helped keep cost, labour, installation time and material waste down.
Meanwhile, the use of natural materials, the light and ventilation strategy, and the design team's overall sensitive development also support the inhabitants' health and wellness - supported by the interior design by Pappas Miron. Boise Passive House exemplifies how modern architecture can harmoniously coexist with environmentally friendly techniques and a mindful approach, to striking effect.
-
25 of the best beauty launches of 2025, from transformative skincare to offbeat scentsWallpaper* beauty editor Mary Cleary selects her beauty highlights of the year, spanning skincare, fragrance, hair and body care, make-up and wellness
-
This cult Los Angeles pop-up restaurant now has a permanent addressChef Brian Baik’s Corridor 109 makes its permanent debut in Melrose Hill. No surprise, it's now one of the hardest tables in town to book
-
French bistro restaurant Maset channels the ease of the Mediterranean in LondonThis Marylebone restaurant is shaped by the coastal flavours, materials and rhythms of southern France
-
Step inside this resilient, river-facing cabin for a life with ‘less stuff’A tough little cabin designed by architects Wittman Estes, with a big view of the Pacific Northwest's Wenatchee River, is the perfect cosy retreat
-
Remembering Robert A.M. Stern, an architect who discovered possibility in the pastIt's easy to dismiss the late architect as a traditionalist. But Stern was, in fact, a design rebel whose buildings were as distinctly grand and buttoned-up as his chalk-striped suits
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume
-
This ethereal Miami residence sprouted out of a wild, jungle-like gardenA Miami couple tapped local firm Brillhart Architecture to design them a house that merged Florida vernacular, Paul Rudolph and 'too many plants to count’
