Geos - Colorado's First GeoSolar Neighborhood

"Geos is an innovative master planned community that emphasizes the importance of neighborhood and utilizes technologies that are right for our time. It is Colorado’s first sustainable, integrated community where energy from the Earth and the Sun replaces all fossil fuels." ( from their website) In Arvada, Colorado, close to Golden and Denver, the location is next to the West Woods Golf Club and borders on the Ralston Creek Trail which is part of the Denver Regional Bike Trail System. The development is going to be arranged in four sections and will provide different housing options, as well as access to common areas, parks, plazas, businesses and playgrounds , the four Geos neighborhoods will connect a diversity of people and lifestyles.

Eco Features - Solar and Geothermal from their website: "Over 300 sunny Colorado days per year and a constant temperature of the Earth at five to seven feet below ground level are the power sources of Geos, the first fossil fuel free community in the United States. Homes that incorporate passive solar, super insulated building shells, high thermal mass and mobile window insulation provide for optimal solar energy gain and retention. A heat recovery ventilation system provides clean and filtered fresh air and conserves internally generated heat. On hot summer days, an Earth tube chills incoming air to 60°F to cool the home. A district ground source heat pump, which also serves as a back-up heat source for extended cold spells, provides domestic hot water.

The entire climate conditioning system and all household electrical equipment are powered by a photovoltaic system tied to the utility grid for net metering. Excess power generation, particularly on hot summer days, is delivered to the grid for storage and to compensate for nights or cloudy daytime needs when electricity is drawn from the grid. Space conditions are thermostat controlled and an energy monitoring system keeps Geos homeowners informed of their specific energy uses. This technology has been used in Europe for many years and is proven, simple and low maintenance. Be part of the first community in Colorado to live a life free of fossil fuels." Also see the Denver Post's Geothermal article for more information about this technology.

The project was developed by Norbert Klebl and Zen Development and the architecture was designed by Michael Tavel Architects and David Kahn Studio.

The master plan has been approved and in May of 2008 the infrastructure construction will begin, which will include the roads, sewers, and utilities. The public opening of the pre-sale release occurred last week on Earth Day, April 22, and the those who sign up will have access to the June 2 pre-sale release.

The crew from Yert.com visited with some of the key members of this project last November and this video gives good insight to the current nature of sustainable design in Colorado.

Also a recent article from the Boulder County Business Report.