A complete set of construction drawings and specifications is available for $5,000.
Part of the proceeds go to The Nacul Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to the principles of ecological architecture.

Download The Perfect Cape [PDF 653,592 B] for more information.

Imagine: instead of having to pay several thousand dollars a year for oil or gas (non-renewable fossil fuels) and pay the electric company, the electric company pays you. At TIA Architects, we have designed a house that will produce more energy than it needs to sustain itself. It stays warm in winter, cool in summer, and produces its own hot water and electricity on-site.

This sustainable, passive solar house utilizes renewable energy alone. It includes geothermal heating, photovoltaic panels, water columns, and a super-insulated ‘envelope’. Despite the greater initial investment for this technology, the payback is considerable — it takes only several years for the cost to be recovered due to a substantial reduction in utility costs — not to mention the environmental benefits of clean energy.

Dubbed ‘The Perfect Cape’, the design echos the vernacular architecture of New England, while pushing the envelope toward a net-zero carbon footprint. The form of the house needed to be kept basic for both economical and environmental reasons. The cape offers a good deal of habitable volume with minimal exterior surface, which in itself, reduces heat loss. Also, the steep roof pitch – a characteristic of the cape’s design – accommodates photovoltaic panels extremely well when orientated at true south.

For more information, please Download The Perfect Cape [PDF 653,592 B] or contact us.