Our Process

Sustainable building starts with sustainable design. We work with you to design the most efficient, appropriate plan that meets your needs. We emphasize keeping size, or “footprint,” as small as possible.

Sustainable design involves the whole team – it is a holistic process. Our team is actively involved in the design work because we believe it takes a rigorous, interactive and collaborative process to create the best designs. Sustainable building is not merely about adding a few non-toxic materials or applying some technologies to an otherwise status quo building.

Designing an appropriate footprint is the first step in achieving energy efficiency, crucial in sustainable building. From here we work to establish the right combination of healthy building materials, layout, and energy efficient systems. For some, r-value is their most important value in design. For others, it is minimally processed products which have the least impact in their manufacture. We work to find the right balance for each situation.

Zirnhelt Timber Frames capitalizes on designing with nature as much as possible. We design to make the best use of daylight and use local appropriate heat sources – including passive solar energy and wood waste.

Bringing together the various components helps us to achieve affordability, another very important part of sustainable building. Efficient footprints, careful design, durability and energy efficiency are all key to making this happen.