Studio In the Clouds
It is estimated that Studio in the Clouds will produce 20% - 30% more energy than it consumes. Using a combination of passive solar, hot water solar panels, geothermal tubing, and AC solar panels the Studio in the Clouds will provide all of it's own energy needs plus some of its neighbors. Look for upcoming articles on the different features that make up this project.
Energy consumption in our daily lives is rapidly becoming a concern for many people, Our goal is to demonstrate some of the ways that success and the ‘American Dream’ can be attained without overly polluting or misusing the earths resources.
Alan was inspired to find new ways of building when he heard about 4 new coal fired power plants proposed for the 4 corners area of Western Colorado.
With the help of friend and contractor Gary Gross of Construction Services of Telluride, they designed and are currently building a unique example of sustainable living called Studio in the Clouds, which will become both home and future recording studio for songwriter/musician Alan Bradbury.
A passive solar greenhouse will provide heat for the entire home on any sunny day and can be passively or actively distributed to other area's of the house. The greenhouse will also provide planter beds for growing food most of the year, and includes a fish tank for aquaculture.
Studio in the Clouds uses a variety of recycled and environmentally friendly products in its construction, which simultaneously provide increased insulation and energy efficiency, and also saves on time and labor costs during the building process.
Another highly innovative product superior to traditional wood framing is called NUDURA®, and is vastly superior to traditional wood framinging. You set up interlocking forms made from polystyrene foam, and pour concrete right inside. No need to build and remove wooden forms, and the insulating capacity of the expanded polystyrene foam combined with the structural strength and thermal mass of concrete makes NUDURA® walls stronger than typical poured or concrete block and up to 2x more energy efficient than framed walls, also providing superior mold resistance, with no gaps to collect moisture.
A fire retardant in the foam provides up to 4x more fire resistance then wooden framing and the double foam insulated concrete provides up to 3x greater sound resistance. It is also light weight and easy to assemble, reducing time and labor costs, and has a unique folding design that makes it more cost effective to ship. The inside webbing of this product is made of 100% recycled plastic, the foam is a non-toxic product that does not put out harmful fumes, and best of all it can be customized to your existing plan, producing very little waste.
