We share a strong belief that our clients, and the infinite circumstances of each project, profoundly contribute to the final concept. We look beyond what is trendy to create unique and timeless design. Regardless of whether the resultant style is contemporary, traditional or more cutting-edge, each completed building embraces its site and fulfills its context while fully satisfying the client and their particular needs.

Hawtin Jorgensen Architects has a strong commitment and interest in pursuing high-performance building design, and such efficiencies influence and shape each of our projects. Indeed, we consider high-performance building design to be highly efficient building design, and we do not proceed without including such concerns in our planning process. The result is a building in harmony with its surroundings, one that seamlessly integrates and interprets its individual elements to produce a structure that engages its users year-round.

Project Teams and Photo Credits

Design Process

The following points may help you understand our commitment to full-spectrum design as well as provide you certain elements to consider when approaching your own project with a conservation mindset. The points are structured around sustainable or energy-efficiency related issues as a way to illustrate how we manage our design process, the same approach we take when managing the larger range of inputs as we work with our clients. Each point builds upon the previous one, and the fifth point impacts all the decisions made throughout the design process.

Site Design and Building Form:

An intelligently sited building interacts seamlessly with its surroundings and works with, not against, environmental factors. With careful analysis of the site, many basic design decisions can improve the efficiency and comfort of a home or building with no additional cost. Considering potential solar gain, daylighting options and natural ventilation are ways to maximize efficiencies for heating, cooling and personal comfort, while still working in harmony with the client’s desires.

Building Envelope Detailing:

All Hawtin Jorgensen buildings are designed to limit winter heat loss and summer heat gain, thereby minimizing the amount of energy required to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. Levels and types of insulation, window and door quality, framing efficiency and elevation exposure are all elements that affect how well a building performs for those who use it.

Efficiency of Mechanical Systems:

Increasing the efficiency of heating systems is more than just the selection of a heating unit. It also applies to designing systems that can evolve over time to accommodate changing technologies. Heat pumps, hydronic systems and thermal storage systems are all examples of the intentional mechanics that affect indoor air quality and comfort, and they can be modified to take advantage of future available energy resources.

Active Renewable Energy Systems:

There are many active renewable systems available, including solar hot water, photovoltaic, wind and hydroelectric power. These systems can be designed to provide power directly to the building to create an “off-grid” home, or the energy produced can be routed directly back into the grid with a net-metering arrangement. Each of these systems, or a suitable combination of them, can be designed to suit the client’s needs. In every case, the addition of alternative renewable energy systems achieves great efficiencies for the homeowner or business owner. In addition there are often tax credits and incentives that help decrease the cost of purchasing such equipment.

Quality of Design:

This overarching final point recognizes that a well-designed structure is one that incorporates a thorough assessment of the factors that surround and impact it. It rewards those who use it and emerges as an integral feature of the landscape and its context. We use our experience and knowledge to design projects that surpass expectation in design, yet function superbly within the unique climate of the Rocky Mountains. It should come as no surprise that well-designed buildings tend to survive longer, even with multiple owners and users.