Regulation & Resilience in Custom Residential Architecture

The session “Regulation & Resilience in Custom Residential Architecture,” held during the AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference, brought together architects, collaborators, and industry leaders to address the evolving challenges in custom residential design. Organized by AIA Colorado’s Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN), the session focused on the intersection of regulation and resilience, emphasizing their impact on sustainability, equity, and safety. CRAN, co-chaired by Brandon Herbst, Assoc . AIA, and Blake Sullivan, AIA, connects architects specializing in custom residential projects to share strategies and elevate practice.

Moderated by Blake Sullivan, AIA, the panel featured Craig Lawrence, AIA, Bunny Tucker, AIA, and Brian Sipes, AIA, who offered diverse perspectives on resilience in architecture. Resilience was defined as the ability of homes to endure, adapt, and sustain occupants over time, with Passive House construction highlighted for its passive survivability, airtightness, and energy efficiency. Panelists discussed the integration of resilient materials, such as thermally modified wood, Rockwool insulation, and T-stud framing, which enhance fire resistance and durability while meeting Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) regulations.

The session explored the impact of regulations, including energy codes and WUI requirements, on project delivery. While regulations were seen as drivers of innovation and safety, challenges such as interdepartmental conflicts in zoning and building codes were noted. Insurance challenges in WUI zones were discussed, with panelists advocating for preferred rates for resilient designs. Passive House certification costs, averaging $20,000, were highlighted as a worthwhile investment for verified performance, and Denver’s legislation supporting multifamily Passive House projects was praised as a step toward scaling resilience.

Equity and community building emerged as key themes, with strategies to improve air quality and acoustic privacy in affordable housing developments. Panelists emphasized the psychological aspects of resilience, with homes serving as spaces for safety and recovery. Architects were urged to act as consensus builders, integrating complex systems and advocating for smart regulations. Future goals included achieving cost-neutral Passive House construction, advancing energy modeling in renovations, and scaling resilient design to positively impact communities.

The session concluded with a call to action for architects to embrace interconnected complexity, advocate for stringent yet smart regulations, and prioritize resilience as a fundamental aspect of design. Panelists encouraged architects to lead the way in creating durable, high-performance homes that benefit both individual clients and broader communities.

Luxury Market as Technology Incubator

High-end residential projects serve as testing grounds for resilient technologies and strategies that can later be adapted and scaled for affordable housing, similar to how the space race drove innovation that benefited broader society.

We kind of look at it sometimes like the 1960s space race. And we use our luxury home experience like NASA did to develop the technologies or experiment and play with the technologies and then we make it a point to find community-based projects, affordable housing projects… and donate our fees and our knowledge to try to bring those along.

Air Sealing Success Depends on Contractor Education

The critical gap between designing high-performance envelopes and achieving them lies in contractor execution. Architects must actively educate builders, facilitate proper sequencing, and maintain involvement throughout construction to ensure air sealing details are properly implemented.

We can as designers draw a dashed line on an assembly and say air barrier… and then your GC gets it and they’re just like nope. And that’s a real problem to overcome… where we can add value and where we become critical in the construction process is by helping to educate, helping to bring consensus around these systems.

Airtightness Provides Multi-Hazard Protection

Beyond energy efficiency, extreme airtightness (under 1 ACH) protects homes from multiple environmental threats including wildfire smoke infiltration, poor air quality from distant fires, and toxic exposure during disasters, enabling occupants to shelter in place safely.

We’ve seen many homes on the periphery, avoid infiltration of smoke and toxicity into their homes and high levels of damage… there was an example of a house that was renovated to passive house standards in Louisville where all of the neighboring homes were required to evacuate for extensive periods of time… but they were able to go right back after the fire.

Innovation Through Creative Problem-Solving

Advancing community-wide resilience requires architects to develop new tools and approaches, such as simplified energy modeling for renovations and cost-neutral passive house construction methods, while leveraging emerging financial incentives and rebate programs.

I want to find a way to get passive house level construction to be cost neutral with business as usual because at the end of the day the finances are driving the work… finding creative financing strategies too, whether it’s insurance, banking… finding a way to get those first costs leveled out for the client would allow us to really scale up this movement.

Architects as Orchestrators of Complex Systems

Resilient design requires architects to function as conductors who integrate diverse expertise – from fire chiefs to MEP consultants to building scientists – rather than just aesthetic designers, orchestrating all stakeholders toward comprehensive solutions.

Architect is the orchestra… the chief conductor… you’re bringing up a little bit of this and you’re telling them to be a little quiet and you’re changing the pace and that’s exactly what you just described, is we are going out, we’re finding the information, and we’re orchestrating that successful solution.

Client Education Through Integrated Design Approach

Rather than presenting resilience as an add-on cost, successful architects integrate high-performance strategies into their standard design process, sometimes implementing them without explicit client requests when they align with other project goals.

Sometimes we just sneak it in anyway… you look for the intersection of those different aspects of the project, and you get there by bringing the energy efficiency along with the durability, or you get there by other methods, and you just make it an integrated part of the design.

Insurance Companies Drive Real-World Standards

While building codes set minimum requirements, insurance companies are becoming the true drivers of resilient construction standards, making coverage increasingly difficult to obtain and pushing architects to exceed code requirements for client protection.

The WUI code, state WUI code’s great, but the insurance companies are getting more and more resilient and just getting coverage in our area is becoming difficult. So we as architects have to be ahead of the curve.

High Performance Design Achievable Across Price Points

Custom passive house construction can be delivered within market-rate construction costs ($400-665/sq ft in Colorado) by integrating high-performance strategies from the design concept phase, using simple forms for energy efficiency, and prioritizing sophisticated mechanical systems over elaborate finishes.

We designed and built custom passive houses within that range. So we’ve got one that’s under construction right now in Glade Park that’s coming in under $400 a square foot, and then several in the Denver metro area that are between 500 and 665 dollars a square foot.

Regulations as Design Opportunities, Not Obstacles

Successful architects view building codes and WUI regulations as minimum baselines that create opportunities for innovation, rather than constraints, by staying ahead of regulatory curves and finding creative solutions that exceed requirements.

I don’t see regulations in general as ever a hindrance… true resilient home would be sort of ahead of those regulations. So we always look at, as I know many of you do too, that the code is the minimum. Anything less would be against the law.

Passive House Standards Enhance Wildfire Survival

Passive house construction naturally provides wildfire resistance through airtightness that prevents ember infiltration, non-combustible materials like rock wool insulation, and thermal envelopes that prevent ignition – creating a powerful synergy between energy efficiency and fire safety.

There is a growing and already large body of knowledge, and very dramatic visual evidence from the Palisade fire that building to passive house standards makes you more fire resistant… that house didn’t ingest embers, and that was 99% of why it survived, then the next 1% was its thermal envelope prevented ignition.