Santa Fe Architect Spotlight – Sandra Odems

Posted on September 27, 2019August 11, 2023 by Mark

We sat down with another one of our great architects here at Palo Santo Designs—Sandra Odems—to talk about her background in architecture, her favorite part of the whole process, and how she approaches architecture now in Santa Fe.

What Led You To Architecture?

For Sandra, it was her interest in drawing from a young age. “I remember (as a child) finding art books stacked near the road, next to someone’s trash, and thinking I had found treasure,” she says.

As she journeyed through high school she always chose art classes instead of foreign language classes. Once she arrived at Tulane for college, she determined architecture would be a great path for her, one that would nurture her creativity and allow her to become a professional.

What Did You Do in Early Your Architecture Career?

For her college junior year abroad, Sandra studied at the Architectural Association in London, which had a strong emphasis on design. After graduation she flip-flopped, and jumped into residential construction, getting her hands dirty learning how buildings are actually constructed here in New Mexico.

As a licensed Architect several years later, Sandra was involved in the construction of larger projects: schools, recreation centers and visitors’ centers across the state. After ten years as a principal in a bigger firm, Sandra started her family and her own practice, with a new focus on residential architecture.

She also spent some time working with Ed Mazria and his team on The 2030 Challenge, which is an initiative that aims to reduce carbon emissions from the building sector by the year 2030.

Sandra now has 15 years of experience in residential design & construction in addition to approximately 10 years of experience working in the public sector.

What Brought You to Santa Fe?

“I’m originally from New Orleans,” Sandra says, but she landed in Santa Fe after considering options in other areas of the country and moving around a bit. Sandra initially moved to Taos with her husband. They began building houses together in the area and learning construction.

“We were young and it seemed cool.” Sandra says. About a year later, they moved to Santa Fe together to pursue larger projects and decided to stay.

Sandra says they fell in love with Santa Fe because of the beauty of the area, the clean air, and outdoor activities. She and her family enjoy skiing, hiking and sailing on the NM lakes as much as possible.

How Do You Approach Architecture & Design of Custom Homes?

Sandra says it’s a lot about context: the owner, the site, tangible and intangible items.

“You’re always looking for something unique – something special that the client brings to the table – that inspires the project.” she says. For Sandra, it’s about being a great listener, and figuring out what is significant and important about each project. Then it’s about transforming what’s heard into something that can be built.

It’s also about creating a connection to the outdoors, especially here in Santa Fe where the climate is comfortable and enjoyable.

Sure, modernism influences design and trends, but sometimes it’s also about designing buildings to be timeless; something that isn’t so dated. That’s a real accomplishment.

But at the end of the day… what Sandra mostly wants is for a project to be successful for the client. Success defined on their terms, because she has listened to them and created a building that they can enjoy for years to come.

What’s Your Favorite Part of the Design-Build Process?

“I love the day-to-day coordination with engineers and just getting it right,” Sandra says.

The complexity of the design and construction is exciting to her. It’s everything from the big vision to the tiniest of details—the daily push forward to a great finished project.

At Palo Santo Designs, Sandra is pleased to work with a team of people committed to thinking everything out and putting together a great project for each client.

What Are Some of the Unique Solutions You Deliver to Clients?

“I’m always thinking about daylight and energy-efficiency, and context, and how these things can come together,” she says.

Palo Santo Designs is committed to projects that are energy-efficient and it’s also second nature for Sandra since she’s been working on energy-efficient design and construction since the early 1990s. “I was doing green design long before it was trendy”, she says.

Sandra is also a LEED certified professional. It’s everything from the orientation of a home for natural light to envelope design and efficient systems. “We like to consider all of this,” Sandra says, but we understand that each client has their own goals and needs in their home.

All-in-all, Sandra is passionate about architecture and loves walking a project from design to build with careful attention to detail throughout the process.

What Makes Santa Fe’s Architecture Different, Especially in 2019?

“I love that in Santa Fe we have both contemporary and traditional styles. Contemporary is just starting to gain in popularity, but there is a big push happening right now in this direction.” Sandra says.

She loves the historic quality of the area and the City’s commitment to historic preservation – and a desire on the part of the community to continue to blend architecture into the earth, but she also appreciates and enjoys designing contemporary buildings.

It’s not a greater appreciation for one or the other. It’s an appreciation for how both can exist side-by-side, and in doing so, create a place that is comfortable and exciting. Old and new, together.

Palo Santo Designs Named One of the Best Custom Home Builders

Posted on September 24, 2019August 11, 2023 by Mark

It’s always an honor to be mentioned for our efforts and successful projects. Recently, we’ve been named one of the best custom home builders in New Mexico by the Home Builder Digest.

We’re thankful to be chosen as one of the best and we always strive to provide the very best in custom home design and construction here in Santa Fe.

If you’re interested in learning more about our work and what we can do for you, please contact Mark at 505.988.7230

How Modern Architecture is Mixing with the Traditional Architecture in Santa Fe

Posted on August 26, 2019August 11, 2023 by Mark

Modern architecture refers to an overarching movement and design that emerged in the Western world at the turn of the 20th century.

This architectural style was popular for universities, government buildings, and residential homes.

Modern architecture brought about:

Clean lines
Plenty of glass for natural light
Broad roof overhangs
Well-defined, rectangular forms
Modern materials and systems, such as steel, exposed concrete, column-free spaces, and radiant floor heating

As you may infer, modern architecture is quite the opposite of the traditional adobe Santa Fe style. Since adobe style is meant to mimic the land and environment around it, the style contains more earth tones and rounded features versus the more angular approach of modern architecture.

A Mix of Architecture Begins

Santa Fe stayed true to its traditional theme well into the 21st century. The city has long been a tourist destination due to its unique architectural style: rounded walls, muted colors, small windows.

Strict building codes in Santa Fe ensures that this aesthetic is maintained throughout the city’s central district. But many modern home buyers prefer a different approach to Santa Fe’s traditional architecture.

Now, the city’s less regulated areas have experienced a new wave of modern homes, with steel and glass materials dotting Santa Fe’s landscape, and homes with angles versus a rounded finish.

Builders and architects in Santa Fe believe that the shift towards more modern styled buildings coincides with the increasing admiration for contemporary art in the city.

Modern art galleries have been set up in notable areas like the Railyard district, just outside of the city’s heavily regulated central districts. This has given contemporary artists the platform they need to put their creativity to good use.

The Historic District Review Board in Santa Fe is responsible for regulating the construction of new buildings, exterior alterations to existing buildings, and the demolition of buildings. This jurisdiction covers Santa Fe’s five historic districts, which makes up 20% of the city. In these districts, building codes are strictly applied. For instance, windows must be a maximum of 30 inches diagonal.

Tradition Meets Modernism in Santa Fe

While many potential homeowners are attracted to Santa Fe for its unique landscape, they want homes that reflect a more contemporary aesthetic:

Bright spaces with plenty of natural light
High-efficiency features
Low environmental impact

Palo Santo Design LLC – an award-winning general contractor and architecture/design firm – is committed to meeting this need. Our goal is to provide custom homes, renovations and commercial spaces that meet the highest standard of craftsmanship, high efficiency, with personalized project management tailored to the unique needs of each client.

We understand the dramatic shift in demands in Santa Fe, with a steadily increasing demand for contemporary buildings and energy efficient features, which bring about more modern touches.

However, we also realize that today’s prospective homeowners in Santa Fe desire homes that integrate traditional features such as curbless shower stalls and wider doorways into contemporary styled buildings. This is why our “soft contemporary” custom homes are designed to have a traditional adobe, yet modern feel.

Exotic woods, glasses, metal and glints of stone contribute to the contemporary feel in Santa Fe even when they are styled in plastered interior walls and a coated exterior.

Santa Fe’s architecture continues to stand out and attract tourists from different parts of the world. As a result, our approach at Palo Santo Design LLC focuses on ensuring the right mix of tradition and modernism based on what our clients want.

Yes, we are able to meet the city’s strict building codes as well as provide homes that are energy efficient and modern for our clients.

Palo Santo Designs Moves Into the Siler Rufina District of Santa Fe

Posted on April 14, 2019August 11, 2023 by Mark

We’re proud to announce that we just moved into the Siler Rufina district in Santa Fe.

Not only did we move into this area, we moved into one of our own, brand-new commercial developments at 1300 Rufina Circle.

The development is an iconic space in a former industrial district of town that is currently getting a lot of buzz, including the popular Meow Wolf attraction, just around the corner from our new offices.

We’re proud of this Rufina development because it provides working space and offices for local artists and small businesses. And not only space, it provides ownership.

These local entrepreneurs actually own their space within the Rufina development. How terrific is that?

Instead of renting, we’re able to give these hard working people something to own and a place to further cultivate their craft.

The development was a total success and sold out before each phase was completed, both in 2017 and 2018.

In many ways, we created a market where one didn’t exist. An office condo space with this architecture and amenities did not exist in the Siler Rufina district, so we brought it to the area at one of the best times.

Also, we were able to deliver this great Rufina development because of tax benefits offered to owners, enhanced by federal opportunity zones in Santa Fe. This development is within one of the only opportunity zones in Santa Fe, which brings tax benefits to all owners of the property.

Want to know more about these federal opportunity zones?

We’ll tell you more in our next blog post and give you a highlight of another upcoming development.

Why You Should Hire A Santa Fe Home Builder & Architect Together

Posted on February 8, 2019August 11, 2023 by Mark

If you’re researching to build a home in Santa Fe and are wondering how to start and what’s involved in the process, then we want to provide some insight here. Building a custom home isn’t a small project and we don’t want it be a poor experience for you, which is why we want you know everything up front.

So let’s take a dive into what the traditional process for building a custom home is like and how our design-build approach is designed to make that experience better.

Understanding the Traditional Client-Architect-Contractor Relationship & Process

When it comes to building a custom home, the traditional relationship looks like a triangle with the client at one point, architect at one point and general contractor at the last point. Typically, the client would approach an architect to initiate the conceptualization and design of the project.

The triangle represents the traditional client – architect – contractor relationship. The dot represents how we’re innovating this relationship by bring everyone together as one firm.

It’s important to note that a general contractor is not involved in the initial discovery phase or even the design phase of the project, based on the traditional relationship. Selecting a general contractor only comes after the design is complete.

The selection of a general contractor typically goes through a bid process where multiple contractors bid on the project with the most expensive bids being tossed to the side and the more affordable bids fighting for the job. This, of course, is a race to the bottom in terms of price alone.

In some cases a design is kicked back to the architect for a re-design because the contractors cannot build the designed home at a price the owners can afford. It is simply too lofty of a design for the budget.

Redesign can be a very costly experience, and can add many months to a project timeline…unnecessarily, in our opinion.

Why Is the Traditional Relationship is Often Not the Best Approach?

As we mentioned, while all three points of the triangle must be involved to complete a home build, the traditional relationships are siloed from each other. To explain this better, let’s take a look at a real-life example:

Reasons Why the Traditional Client-Architect-Contractor Relationship is Flawed:

#1 – No matter how talented an architect is and how much they know, if they are not working with a builder from the beginning of a project then there is information they will not know and anticipate. Materials, labor, and the environment all constantly change, which directly affects costs and completion. The builder knows that information and can inform the architect but only if the architect is working with the builder from the beginning.

#2 – With the traditional process, expectations are not appropriately set. Again, an architect will surely provide a beautiful design and capture what the client is dreaming of. However, if all of the other building factors are not considered then the client is getting their hopes up for something that may not be a reality. These expectations can crush a project.

#3 – In most cases, 50-75% of custom builds that start in with the traditional relationship end up having to go back through the redesign phase because of unanticipated factors, such as material and labor costs, and other factors Again, a redesign often costs the client more money and immediately delays the build process.

#4 – The traditional approach often focuses primarily on the artistic perspective with little or no focus on cost implications.. As we like to say “our goal is to design to your budget, so that your dream home will become a reality.” This approach is not exclusive of aesthetic focus, but is an informed approach emphasizing the aesthetic in the most cost effective ways possible. So understanding all of the building factors influences the design we create rather than working backward.

#5 – After a design is ready for contractors to bid on, it becomes all about hitting the budget that is often too low for the scope of the design, which causes a race to the bottom with contractors. Typically, the best builders are tossed out in the beginning because their bid is too “high,” although realistic. In this scenario, you have a beautiful design but a contractor trying to cut costs as much as possible to hit a budget. This is not a recipe for a successful and wonderful build for the client.

#6 – In some cases, a design may never be financially attainable for the client. They have hopes and dreams for a particular home, and while an architect can design the home, it may not be feasible at all for the set budget.

How We Approach Architecture & Home Building in Santa Fe:

Like we mentioned at the beginning, we are innovating this relationship simply by bringing architecture and contractors under one roof and on one team here in Santa Fe.

Since we can collaborate as designers and builders from the very first day, we can overcome the majority of pitfalls that occur in the traditional process. What does this look like?

Expectations – we can set the right expectations from day one. No designs that won’t fit an actual budget. We can take your budget and dreams and create a realistic expectation.
Financially Attainable – you have a set budget and dream for your home. We take both and create a plan that is attainable financially versus starting with a grand design that cannot be built for your budget. It’s our goal to make your dream a reality and attainable for you.
Land/Lot Real Estate – we can assist you in locating and purchasing a lot that suits your goals and avoids many issues that may affect budget and timeline, such as soils, topography, utilities and jurisdictional restrictions. We can effectively prevent redesigns and delays in the design-build process, which saves you money and gets you into your home on time.
Compliance – our goal from the moment we start discovery with you is to chart a path of compliance so your project complies with everything needed, such as ordinances, jurisdictions, easements, utilities, and beyond.
Truly Design and Build – some firms claim to be a design/build firm but they actually hire an outside architect to come in for a project. We don’t do this. We are truly a design-build firm because we have the architect and builders on the same team here at Palo Santo Designs. We are committed to not only designing you a beautiful home but influencing your project from the beginning with true building knowledge.
Sustainability – because of our extensive experience and expertise in the design and construction of high performance green homes, you can be assured that the design will include numerous fundamental energy and water efficiency features, passive solar design and otherwise environmentally preferable materials and methods. Sustainability is our baseline, not an add-on.

Featured in the SantaFean for Our Minimalist Design and Craftsmanship

Posted on December 20, 2018August 11, 2023 by Mark

Read our feature in the SantaFean Dec. 2018 – Jan. 2019 edition:

Here’s an excerpt of the story written by Amy Gross:

Though he declined to attend the Santa Fe Parade of Homes awards gala last August, Stelio Kitrilakis told the team that designed and built this house to text him if they won anything. Being in the film industry, Kitrilakis knows a thing or two about awards ceremonies, including how even the best pictures are sometimes snubbed. In this case, he needn’t have worried.

“We were sort of crossing our fingers that we wouldn’t embarrass Stelio by showing up and not getting anything,” laughs Mark Giorgetti, founder and principal of Palo Santo Designs. “But it was text after text after text.”

Passive Solar Design: Making the Most of Nature’s Energy

Posted on December 21, 2016August 11, 2023 by palosanto

Passive solar design is foundational to the way we approach home building. In a city like Santa Fe, passive solar design can have a massive impact on the efficiency and sustainability of your home.

How does Palo Santo Designs incorporate passive solar design into its homes? Keep reading to find out more about how we work.

What is Passive Solar Design?

Passive solar design involves creating homes and home features that take advantage of the sun’s energy. This involves understanding the orientation, layout of window glazing and use of overhangs to maximize the heating potential of the sun’s warming rays in the home during winter, while simultaneously maximizing shading of those same rays during the summer months to avoid unwanted heating. Once the basic accounting of the solar angles of the sun in winter vs. summer and the correct sizing and shading of window glass is harnessed, then the importance of creating a super insulated building envelope which includes thermal mass elements within the home yields paybacks

The result: Homes build according to basic passive solar design principles will have minimal heating and cooling costs as compared to homes which are designed without any thought as to solar heat gain. And, properly designed and build passive solar homes will also maximize the comfort of those dwelling in the home, because the temperature extremes of heat and cold outside the home are insulated away from the interior, reducing temperature fluctuations.

Passive solar design allows you to reduce heating and cooling loads in the most cost-effective way, because passive solar design typically adds little or nothing to the cost of constructing a home.

Key Features in Passive Solar Design

When building homes with energy efficiency in mind, you need to take a few things into account, including all of the following:

-Site Selection: New passive solar home construction projects will require a portion of the south side of the house to have an unobstructed view of the sun. This can be harder than you think: mature trees and other buildings nearby could block your south-facing exposure, which could compromise the efficiency of your passive solar home. Great passive solar design starts with intelligent site selection.

-High-Performance Building Envelope: The thermal envelope can also be thought of as the “shell: of the home. The materials and methods which go into creating the exterior walls, roof and opening in the outside of the building. At Palo Santo Designs we have learned through 15 years of experience that the most cost effective way to achieve a high-performance building envelope in Northern New Mexico’s climate is with the use of 2×6 or 2×8 stud wall construction, with 2”-3” of insulating foam placed around, under and over the entire building. All wall and ceiling cavities are then packed with blown-in insulation. Additionally, we air seal all exterior surfaces and penetrations to assure that drafts are minimized. And finally, we use only ENERGY STAR rated windows and doors. These features, when properly combined and installed will create a super energy efficient and high performing building envelope which serves as the foundation for comfort, energy efficiency and very effective passive solar design, without busting the budget.

-Properly-Designed Windows: Windows and glass doors should be designed in such a way as to not over expose the home to solar gain. A qualified passive solar designer will be able to make the window sizing calculations that best suit the size and layout of your new passive solar home. Additionally, exposed south facing glass needs to be provided with shading during the summer months. Roof overhangs and other architectural projections can be designed with the summer sun angle of the house location in mind to maximize solar gain in winter and minimize solar gain in summer. In the early days of passive solar design, many examples tended toward over doing the size of glass facing south, and little attention was paid to the importance of overhangs, leading to an overheating situation, especially in the summer months. This is not good passive solar design.

-Thermal Mass: One of the key parts of passive solar design involves taking thermal mass into account – like concrete, brick, stone, and tile; heavy building materials that easily absorb and re-radiate heat. These thermal mass components act as heat sinks in the winter months storing the solar gain radiated into the home and also as a “cool” sinks in the summer months when little or no solar gain enters the home. During the summer shading conditions provided by properly designed windows and overhangs, thermal mass will absorb latent heat from the air, thus keeping the ambient air temperature cool relative to a space without thermal mass, reducing the need for mechanical cooling. When designing a home, one of the key goals is ensuring that thermal mass materials are sufficiently sized to have an appreciable impact on the ambient temperature. Although it is not absolutely necessary to moderate temperatures, thermal mass with an unobstructed view of sunlight is the most effective.

Passive Solar Design in Santa Fe Available Through Palo Santo Designs

Homes with passive solar design are vastly more efficient. It minimizes your environmental impact – and your utility bills. Talk to Palo Santo Designs today and start planning your dream home with passive solar design systems.

Palo Santo Designs on Parade

Posted on August 18, 2016August 11, 2023 by palosanto

With the 2016 Olympic Games still in full swing, it’s worth remembering the idea that athletes compete at their best when they’re performing in an arena that includes the most skilled opponents. At Palo Santo Designs, we are proud to be among a community that represents some of the nation’s most talented architects, designers and home builders.

This undoubtedly has helped keep our own “game” at its best. In this year’s 24^th annual Haciendas…A Parade of Homes, organized by the Santa Fe Area Homebuilders’ Association, Palo Santo Designs has enjoyed the great privilege of showcasing not one but two of our homes — and we are thrilled that the effort we invested in them has garnered recognition with several awards.

Our home at 9 Via San Martin, in the Tano Road area, earned the coveted award for Best Craftsmanship. This 2,900 plus-square-foot Northern New Mexico-style luxury hacienda, with pitched roof and exposed beams, is made up of three separate structures interconnected by flagstone and moss rock hardscaped outdoor spaces that capitalize on the beautiful natural surroundings and mountain views.

Inside, various floor finishes inside include black walnut and polished concrete, providing an aesthetic contrast to the stone fireplace and countertops and custom cherry cabinetry. Furthermore, the hand troweled diamond finish plaster is exemplary of Northern New Mexico traditional craftsmanship. Maximizing its overall efficiency and reducing its ecological footprint, the home is super-insulated and features a rainwater-harvesting irrigation system.

Our home at 1841 Cristobal Lane, in Santa Fe’s Museum Hill Estates neighborhood, scored top honors in three categories, with awards for Best Outdoor Living Space, Best Water Efficiency, and Best Energy Efficiency.

This 2,077 square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath Pueblo Revival-style home features contemporary accents and ample outdoor living areas that likewise capitalize on the magnificent mountain views. The inviting landscape design was a collaboration with Serquis+Associates Landscape Architecture, and exemplifies water conscious xeriscaping including native species and permeable hardscaping utilizing native stone and adobe.

The home’s energy is provided by its roof-mounted photovoltaic system that generates 4.5 kilowatts of electricity, the home can produce nearly as much of its own energy as it consumes from the grid, and features an electric car charger for true solar powered driving.

As for its water conservation features, the home is topped with a roof designed to capture and utilize all rainfall for the outdoor landscape irrigation as well as re-use within the home for toilet flushing, furthermore, the landscape is also nourished by a graywater system that reclaims wastewater from showers, laundry and bathroom sinks.

We encourage anyone interested in seeing these two luxurious custom homes as well as the many other fine homes on the Parade lineup to do so during this forthcoming weekend (August 19 – 21), which marks the second and last chance to check them out. Tickets can be purchased online through the Lensic or at each house during the event itself. The homes can also be seen for free during Friday’s Twilight Tour from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

New to Santa Fe? Here Are 7 Great Things To Do

Posted on August 10, 2016August 11, 2023 by palosanto

Santa Fe is filled with exciting things to do. Did you just move to town? Are you visiting for the weekend? Today, we’re highlighting 7 great things to do when you’re new to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

1) Soak Up Culture on Canyon Road

For most Santa Fe visitors, Canyon Road is the first and last stop on the tour. It’s the center of Santa Fe’s artistic spirit and is home to commercial galleries, public museums, and other attractions that will appeal to art lovers.

Canyon Road can be found just east of the Santa Fe Plaza. Keep an eye out for artwork by renowned artists like Fernando Botero. Or, shop around for treasured cultural artifacts like Navajo rugs and Southwestern wood carvings.

The best way to soak up Canyon Road is to just walk down the street. The street is an art exhibit in itself: walking down the street, you’ll cruise past adobe buildings laced with brilliantly-colored flowers. You’ll smell the spicy odor of chili peppers wafting from the doorways of world-class restaurants.

Aim to spend 2 to 4 hours on Canyon Road. Parking in the area can be a hassle as the streets in the surrounding area are narrow. Look for the free Santa Fe Pick-Up shuttle stops nearby to save yourself a lot of headaches.

2) Explore Santa Fe Plaza

Santa Fe is one of the oldest cities in America. Founded all the way back in 1607, Santa Fe’s history began right under your feet at the Santa Fe Plaza.

The Plaza has been Santa Fe’s cultural hub ever since. Over the years, it’s played host to bullfights and fandangos. Today, it’s surrounded by historical buildings like the Palace of the Governors and the San Miguel Mission.

Walk around Santa Fe Plaza. Discover Santa Fe’s history. Explore the Plaza at night to find a place teeming with activity. Eat at some of the restaurants, walk through galleries, and peruse Native American artifacts – but be careful not to overspend on some of the inflated trinket prices.

3) Discover the Palace of the Governors & the New Mexico History Museum

Located just off Santa Fe Plaza, the Palace of the Governors was built the same year Santa Fe was founded – 1610. It was the original capital of New Mexico and is also renowned for being the site of the only successful Native American uprising, which took place back in 1680.

Walk through the adobe building to explore 400 years of our state’s history. Learn about the Santa Fe trail and view an altarpiece made in 1830 for a church in Taos.

The New Mexico Museum of History and the Palace of the Governors are both open every day from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Sunday (open Mondays in the summertime). New Mexico residents pay $6 and out-of-state visitors pay $9, while children 16 and younger enter for free. Admission is also free on Fridays between 5pm and 8pm.

If you’re really interested in learning more about the city’s history, consider booking a walking tour through the New Mexico History Museum. It takes you to more historic spots around town.

4) Peruse the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Santa Fe is famous for its artists, and no artist is more famous in Santa Fe than Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe moved to Santa Fe from the East Coast and quickly became inspired by the high desert surroundings. Before long, she was known as one of the greatest artists to ever live in the Southwest.

Even if you have just a minor love of art, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is a must-visit while in Santa Fe. It’s home to over 1,000 O’Keeffe creations, including drawings, paintings, and sculptures along with 2,000 other works by her peers.

5) Experience Meow Wolf

Meow Wolf is a recently-opened art exhibit that’s difficult to describe. Essentially, it’s a walkthrough art exhibit packed with multimedia presentations. Here’s how the artists describe their renowned attraction:

“Our work is a combination of jungle gym, haunted house, children’s museum, and immersive art exhibit. This unique fusion of art and entertainment gives audiences fictional worlds to explore.”

It’s an immersive experience that really has to be seen to be believed. You can’t really describe it: you just have to see it for yourself the next time you visit Santa Fe.

Meow Wolf also has rotating exhibits taking place throughout the year. Visit their official website to check what’s going on this week.

6) Go Skiing

New Mexico may be a desert, but Santa Fe sits at 7,199 feet above sea level, making it one of the highest cities in the United States. That means ski hills and snow are only a short trip away from downtown in the winter.

There are four main ski hills within a two hour drive of Santa Fe. The closest option is Ski Santa Fe, which is just 15 miles northeast of the city. Other options include Pajarito Mountain Ski Area and Sipapau Ski and Summer Resort, both of which are about an hour away.

If you want to travel a little farther, then Taos Ski Valley is probably the best ski hill in the state. It’s home to more varied terrain and a larger ski area. It’s a 2 hour drive away but locals will tell you it’s worth getting up early.

Many of New Mexico’s ski resorts get up to 300 inches of snow every year. If you’re in the area in the winter, you can enjoy nice weather in town while still enjoying world-class skiing on the peaks.

7) Hike Bandelier National Monument

Located just a few miles west of Santa Fe, Bandelier National Monument is an outdoor mecca for Santa Fe residents. The area is home to 30,000 acres of backcountry wilderness along with 60 miles of hiking trails. It takes about an hour to drive there from Santa Fe, but it’s a great way to spend a weekend exploring.

History buffs will get a kick out of Bandelier National Monument. The base of Frijoles Canyon has a collection of ancient cave dwellings and other stone structures that originally belonged to New Mexico’s Pueblo people. Visitors are free to explore the settlement and follow the paved trail through the village.

7 day passes to Bandelier National Monument cost about $20.

We’ve only hinted at the number of great things there are to do around Santa Fe, New Mexico! We’re surrounded by nature, history, art, and culture in our beautiful city and that means there’s never a shortage of things to do.

What is the LEED Program for Home Building?

Posted on August 4, 2016August 11, 2023 by palosanto

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is creating a whole new generation of homes across America. Discover how LEED is inspiring homebuilders – and benefiting homeowners – across Santa Fe, New Mexico.

What is LEED?

The LEED program is a third-party verification system for green homes. When a building is LEED-certified, it means the building has met a strict set of environmentally-friendly standards.

Meanwhile, environmentally-conscious homeowners can shop among houses based on their LEED rating levels.

The goal is to encourage our world to grow in a more sustainable way. There are four levels of LEED certification, including Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

When a building is LEED-certified, it means it uses resources more efficiently than other similarly-sized buildings. It uses less water and energy, for example, and produces less greenhouse gas. LEED-certified buildings also save money.

One of the best things about LEED is that it can be applied to all different types of projects – including everything from downtown hotels to homes in residential neighborhoods.

Palo Santo Creates LEED-Certified Homes in Santa Fe

Palo Santo Designs is a design-build firm based here in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We’re proud to be among a few homebuilders devoted to sustainable residential development in our region.

We are proud to say that many of our Santa Fe home projects have passed the rigorous scrutiny of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program.

That means our homes are not only aesthetically beautiful, but they also have minimum impact on the environment. They use less energy and water, for example, while still being stylistically stunning.

How Do We Build LEED Homes in Santa Fe?

Palo Santo Designs has recently finished a home in Santa Fe’s Museum Hill neighborhood. The 2,100 square foot, three bedroom, two bath Pueblo Revival-style home is outfitted with contemporary accents, extensive outdoor space, and beautiful views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

It’s also pending LEED certification at the Platinum level, which is the highest level of certification available. Here are a few of the this environmentally-friendly home’s key sustainability achievements.

Solar Panels and Home Orientation

The home is nestled onto a single-acre lot. While creating the home, our designers had to carefully consider the orientation in order to maximize views as well as solar gain.

The roof of the home features a photovoltaic system capable of generating 4.5 kilowatts of electricity, which covers virtually all of the electrical needs for the home. Other electric features in the home include an electric vehicle charging station, a high efficiency air-to-water heat pump for in-floor heating and cooling, and efficient LED lighting throughout the home.

Water Conservation and Indoor Reuse of Rainwater

Water conservation also played a crucial role in gaining LEED certification. The home’s roof is specially designed not just for solar panels, but also to maximize rainfall capture. This rainwater is used for outdoor landscape irrigation as well as to flush indoor toilets. Re-using collected rainwater indoors is a cutting edge innovation in Santa Fe.

Meanwhile, gray water beds reclaim wastewater from showers, laundry, and bathroom sinks to ensure the landscaping always looks stunning without using excessive water.

Insulation, Adobe Walls, and Air Ventilation

One final piece of the puzzle is insulation. To create an environmentally-efficient home, Palo Santo Designs had to create a very well-insulated home outfitted with R-30 walls and R-50 ceilings.

Adobe walls within the home provide thermal mass, which then captures and retains heat energy from passive solar-oriented clerestory windows.

Of course, homes with good insulation can often suffer ventilation problems. That’s why we incorporated an energy recovery ventilation system that facilitates the proper exchange of fresh air into the home via an air-to-air heat exchanger.

Fresh air is brought into the home, passed through a filter to remove contaminants like dust and pollen, and then refreshes the home. This is especially valuable during allergy season or during the winter and wildfire months when the home is closed off to the outdoor air.

LEED Platinum-Certified Homes Now Available in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Ultimately, the home mentioned above will achieve LEED Platinum-certification, which is the highest level of certification available through the program. This is one of many successful LEED certified projects by Palo Santo Designs.

We have another home pending LEED certification available for sale:

Radiating Energy Efficiency in Our Santa Fe Homes

Posted on July 18, 2016August 11, 2023 by palosanto

At Palo Santo Designs, we pride ourselves on designing some of the greenest, most efficient and luxurious homes in Santa Fe. That’s why we often incorporate in-slab radiant heating and cooling systems into so many of our projects. A study by the New Buildings Institute found nearly half of the nation’s commercial net-zero energy buildings – buildings that produce as much energy as they consume — use radiant systems to meet their energy goals.

Using In-Floor Radiant Heating & Cooling:

In-floor radiant heating and cooling systems utilize of carefully designed network of flexible tubing set within the concrete slab to deliver heated or cooled liquids to thermostatically controlled zones of the house. Concrete slabs, being of high mass are perfect reservoirs of heat (or cool) and thus slowly radiate temperature control into the ambient space, making the home comfortable in the most energy efficient way.

To really get the most of a radiant heating and cooling system that is installed in new slab-on grade construction, the concrete slabs are of utmost importance. That’s why we employ an above-code approach to high-performance slabs, involving a number of key strategies.

Here’s a clip of a slab in progress:

Starting With An Earthen Building Pad:

For starters, we begin by creating a 95 percent compacted earthen building pad that is constructed of engineered fill to provide for long term stability. We work closely with our Geotechnical Engineer to assure the excavation and compaction methods are suitable to the soil type, thus minimizing movement (settling or upheaval) within the building over time. Few builders are willing to take the time or afford the expense of this crucial step instead of suffering the consequences later with movement, cracking or subsidence of the building over time.

Avoiding Radon in Our Santa Fe Homes:

Over the engineered building pad, we apply a two-inch layer of gravel with a continuous vapor barrier overlay that allows earth gases, including life threatening radon, to collect and be isolated from the living space. Radon vents starting below the vapor barrier and continuing within concealed walls up through the roof allows radon and other gases to escape the building without ever entering the living space, thus avoiding the accumulation of potentially carcinogenic Radon gas within the living space.

The Palo Santo Way With Insulation:

Upon the radon mitigation layer described above, rigid insulation is placed to insure that the in-floor heating and cooling applied to the slabs is transferred directly into the living space, and not lost into the earth below. Code minimum is not the Palo Santo way, so our under slab insulation is R-15 or better, creating a highly energy efficient floor that will be guaranteed to be thermally comfortable while minimizing heating and cooling costs

Upon the insulation, a layer of sand bedding allows for ideal curing of concrete, which promotes superior hard-troweled finished floors with integral color that is vastly more appealing than with typical concrete.

Needless to say, rebar and mesh installed prior to the concrete pour assures structural integrity and reduces hairline cracking. Strategically placed cut-in control joints do the same by relieving tension during the curing process, while also adding a visible architectural element similar to the look of large format floor tile.

There is nothing quite like the feel and look of a hard troweled integrally colored concrete floor. An aesthetic that works both in the ultra-contemporary or traditional Santa Fe home.

The WERS Rating and How It’s Helping Our Homes Save Water

Posted on July 11, 2016August 11, 2023 by palosanto

A group of green home builders in New Mexico recently created the WERS rating, a water conservation standard designed to help homes save water. What is the WERS rating and what does it mean for homebuyers? Let’s take a closer look.

What is the WERS Rating?

WERS stands for Water Efficiency Rating Score. It’s a term that quantifies a home’s water use, then generates a score similar to the HERS index, which is used to measure a home’s energy consumption.

The measurement standard was created by the Green Builder Coalition.

WERS seeks to solve one of New Mexico’s biggest problems: a lack of water. Many homeowners have acknowledged the need to conserve water more efficiently in their homes, so they install things like toilets and showers with flow reduction equipment. However, this equipment only reduces water consumption in certain parts of your home.

WERS, meanwhile, tracks water usage inside and outside the home to help homeowners make better decisions about their water usage.

WERS scores are given based on a scale from 0 to 100, with lower numbers indicating better water efficiency.

How Does WERS Track Water Consumption?

WERS tracks the efficiency of water consumption by tracking indoor and outdoor water usage.

Inside the home, for example, WERS looks at the main plumbing fixtures, including the toilets, showers, lavatories, kitchen sinks, clothes washers, and pipe priming (the pipe priming is water that is wasted before usable hot water arrives at the farthest hot water-using fixture).

The system looks at the loading values and associated efficiencies of these fixtures to calculate indoor water use. It also takes into account rainwater and graywater catchment, and uses these measurements in an attempt to offset indoor water use (just like solar panels can offset energy use in the HERS index).

How to Get a WERS Score On a Home

Homebuilders can estimate the WERS score of a property based on the fixtures and appliances installed in the home as well as any water conservation strategies the home plants to implement.

However, that only provides a general estimate for the WERS score. To get a specific WERS score, the completed program document must be sent to a third-party WERS verifier, who will then check to ensure all appliances, fixtures, and strategies have been installed as the builders have claimed.

Then, there’s one final certification step: the program document is sent to the Green Builder Coalition for processing.

Once that step is complete, the homebuilders have a certified, verified measurement of how efficiently the home consumes water. They can use this information to apply for tax credits or other incentives that require third party verification.

Tax Credits, Incentives, and Other WERS Benefits

Why should you start thinking about WERS? Here are some of the tax credits, incentives, and other benefits of the WERS system:

-Potential financial incentives, including reduced tap and storm water impact fees

-Potential upcoming tax credits like Senate Bill 279, which was recently approved and will be funded in 2016 to promote water conservation across NM

-Support of water conservation codes, regulations, and enforcement, and can easily be incorporated into your local green building code (which varies between municipalities across New Mexico – in Santa Fe, we have the Santa Fe Residential Green Building Code, or SFRGBC)

-The satisfaction of doing your part in the long-term conservation of a precious natural resource

The Green Builders Coalition is currently in talks with the EPA to expands WERS across the country and build support.

What Does WERS Mean for Santa Fe Homebuyers?

WERS gives homebuilders, homebuyers, and anyone else in the industry an easy way to compare homes.

If two homes seem pretty much identical in square footage, bedrooms, bathrooms, location, and all other metrics you use to compare property, then the WERS score may be the deciding factor.

The 0 to 100 scale of the WERS score also plays into the competitive nature of homebuilders: builders may start to advertise that they have the lowest WERS scores in New Mexico, for example, and will try to beat competitors to a lower score.

Build your Next Santa Fe Home with Water and Energy Efficiency in Mind

Ultimately, WERS is a water conservation standard that’s becoming increasingly important in New Mexico. If you’re interested in designing and constructing a home with strong WERS and HERS standards, get in touch with us today at Palo Santo Designs. As an award-winning design build contractor, we can build homes to your precise specifications and efficiency goals.