Al Kisner, outside of his home, January 2015
High performance should not preclude fitting into the the natural and cultural landscape. . .
Al Kisner is a retired teacher and bat enthusiast. He's spent his life learning about and striving to protect the natural world we all inhabit. This residence is the culmination of a dream to build a home that would not only meet his needs, but one that would serve as an example for others. He wanted to test and demonstrate new technologies in order to encourage more energy efficient construction in his area. When LEED for Homes was introduced, he knew that nothing less than meeting or exceeding those standards would do.
Al Kisner began construction of his LEED Platinum Home in 2009. Although many people would cite that as the start of the journey, it was in many ways a culmination. Al began dreaming about it many years before. He'd camp on the property and think about the features he'd like to include. Countless hours were spent learning about and researching green technologies.
When he approached Architect Peter Stempel, he had a good idea of what he wanted to build. He wanted to make a home that included all the features he read about, but also one that would resonate with the National Park and the natural beauty that surrounded the site. High performance could not come at the cost of the place he loved so dearly. He also knew that he wanted to employ local craftsmen and people who lived locally in the canyon. New ideas and techniques could not come at the expense of the community.
Photographs by Peter Stempel