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.
-
Reflections from Los Angeles: a local writer's personal account of the LA firesArchitecture writer and local resident Michael Webb reflects on the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires and offers his personal account of the events of the last two weeks in California
-
Sundance Film Festival 2025: The films we can't wait to watchSundance Film Festival, which runs 23 January - 2 February, has long been considered a hub of cinematic innovation. These are the ones to watch from this year’s premieres
-
Wellness takes to the skies and the high seas in this concept superyacht and private jet retrofitHigh-end mobility design pivots to minimalist calm and life-affirming ambience as wellness trends take hold. The Sea Rover yacht and Afterglow private jet point the way
-
Reflections from Los Angeles: a local writer's personal account of the LA fires
Architecture writer and local resident Michael Webb reflects on the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires and offers his personal account of the events of the last two weeks in California
-
LA Mayor Karen Bass outlines her plan for rebuilding the cityFollowing the devastating LA wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, the city’s mayor has outlined her plan for reconstruction
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House, a Usonian modernist Michigan gem, could be yoursFrank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House in Michigan is on the market – a chance to peek inside the heritage modernist home in the countryside
-
Cabin House is a simple modernist retreat in the woods of North CarolinaDesigned for downsizing clients, Cabin House is a modest two-bedroom home that makes the most of its sylvan surroundings
-
A Texas ranch house blends Californian charm and Asian minimalism in a 'balance in hybridity'Pontious, a Texas ranch house designed by OWIU, is a home grounded in its owner's cultural identity, uniting Californian, Chinese and Japanese roots
-
The three lives of the Edith Farnsworth House: now, a modernist architecture icon open to allThe modernist Edith Farnsworth House has had three lives since its conception in 1951 by Mies van der Rohe; the latest is a sensitive renovation, and it's open to the public
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A vacant Tribeca penthouse is transformed into a bright, contemporary eyrieA Tribeca penthouse is elevated by Peterson Rich Office, who redesigned it by adding a sculptural staircase and openings to the large terrace
