SPACE ODYSSEY 2003
house of spires, beyond the bounderies

Definitely not slaves to Ye Olde Worlde look, Chuck Burr and his wife Jacquie of Gold King Basin designed their home using a hexagonal grid with guidance from eco-architect Eric Doud. "A hexagon is a six-sided shape having three axes of equal length intersecting in one plane at 60 degrees, and a fourth axis of different length at 120 degrees to the plane of the other three axes," explains Doud, a 30-year Telluride resident who immerses himself in mathematical theories. One of the most interesting features of the entire home is that most of its angles are either 60 or 120 degrees; which made it necessary to build in most furnishings. The built-in features, along with being independent from outside energy sources, make this high altitude, 2,400-square-foot dwelling seem like a modern-day, miner's spacecraft. This vessel-type residence utilizes natural materials—local stone, glass, cement and steel—that seemingly camouflage it from onlookers. Doud would tell you it fits nicely into the setting because its crystallographic/ prismatic contour is inherently found at high altitudes.

As one of the highest homes in North America , this Star-of-David-shaped structure rests at an elevation of 11,300 feet—above Alta Lakes and precisely where L.L. Nunn employed the world's first long distance transmission of alternating current. The land itself is hugely significant to the world in terms of it being the birthplace of electricity as we know it. It's also a bit ironic as this home is one of only a handful of homes in the region that is powered by solar electricity or direct current. As you step out onto the front portico, not only do you see the remains of the turn-of-the-century Gold King Mill, but views of the ominous craggy cliffs of Silver Mountain —the north side of the Ophir Needles—and the Wilsons are right before your eyes. You also see the house's trombe black walls that are transparent to light and opaque to heat. The Burr's home faces perfectly south for energy efficiency. "The pitch of the roof is between the winter and summer solstice, so the glass is in the shade during the summer, in the sun in the winter," says Burr. He continues explaining, "When the bedrock was blasted for the foundation, ledges were left in the basement to increase thermal mass. A passive solar heating system heats the mass. This warms the concrete floors. A thin alder veneer was the chosen wood used throughout the house as it is very sustainable. The solar panels create the necessary electricity for an off the grid lifestyle."

The Burr home was grandfathered in before San Miguel County enacted a high country building moratorium, but the Burrs voluntarily complied with the new High Country Zone District. Despite the fact some political activists are upset the Burrs built their home amidst the feral mountain lands of a historic basin, this family is extraordinarily environmentally conscious. Their home relies on a minute amount of "fossil fool" as Burr puts it. In laymen's terms, it doesn't tie into the grid which burns coal, which in turn spews out carbon dioxide and depletes the environment in multiple ways. It uses "clean" energy, in other words, powered by the solar system, explains Leif Juell, the solar electricity engineer and owner of Alternative Power Enterprises. Juell further states, "Basically, utilizing photovoltaic power was the alternative to bringing powerlines to the basin. The solar panels convert sunlight into energy which is stored in batteries, which generally have 20- year lives." This makes the Burr home nearly a zero-energy-home as it can operate for almost five days (during cloudy/stormy weather) on the batteries' storage. During such times, a propane-fired generator charges the batteries. Going to the secondary system happens only about 200 hours a year, versus most homes that run off fossil fuels 24/7, 365 days a year. Two-thirds of the 54 acres the Burr residence resides upon are deeded to a conservation easement, which ultimately ensures it as the only house ever to be built in the basin. Burr says, "The Telluride Academy has been written into the agreement so the children can camp and learn from this spectacular terrain."

The romance of a five-mile, four-wheel, uphill drive, amid towering trees in summer, and a snowy adventure via Snow Cat, snowmobile or cross-country skis in wintertime, is a commute home many would envy deeply. Living off the grid creates a private, self-sustained universe that works right alongside the rhythms of nature. The Burr home doesn't have land-lines for telephone or television; it rather taps into telecommunication via satellite. Albeit, the Burrs don't prescribe to television; in its stead, they read books and connect to the outside world over the satellite internet. Burr doesn't like to be influenced by the "conformist" world. He believes everyone should take responsibility for how they live and what they buy into on a daily basis. Though some Americans, but not necessarily Europeans, may say the Burrs have taken a catwalk on the wild side of life, most would agree they have triggered an encouraging sentiment—that society should evaluate its energy consumption and sources. "Your life is the only life you can change," says Doud with Burr nodding his head in compliance. He added Winston Churchill's words, "'We build buildings, thereafter they build us.'" Juell adds. "Solar electric is very competitive with coal-fired electric. Ultimately, it comes down to the choice of wanting to burn clean or toxic energy. It also comes down to leaving our children with a society that is more environmentally secure."

Juell notes that architects and contractors should always provide their clients with alternative energy choices, to help sculpt a more sustainable society. "This home is basically phase one in my quest to live and educate others to live with renewable energy sources," says Burr as he refers to London 's Bedzed apartment project. The Bedzed project is a innovative prototype zero (fossil) energy development. A sustainable future relies on reducing carbon dioxide emissions. At Bedzed, this means using recycled, reclaimed and renewable building materials, making use of passive solar design as well as photovoltaic panels. This ensures high levels of thermal mass and insulation, and incorporates water recycling. Burr infers he would like to be instrumental in developing employee housing in Telluride that coincides with Bedzed's formula. He even goes as far as to say that he thinks each household ought to consider growing its own food as pesticides and food bio-engineering could one day bring harm to the masses.

Though many would concur with much of Burr's thought processes, he believes more people need to take action and be part of the green affair. Though it may appear contrary to his consciousness, Burr put his uniquely-crafted home up for sale in order to take his quest to a different level—pioneering a 100 percent zero-energy-home, replete with massive veggie garden. Until he takes on his next project, however, Burr and his family remain in wondrous awe of the spectacular atmosphere that surrounds them. Life at Gold King Basin is analogous to living in a spiral-shaped galaxy suspended in space like a weightless star—it's a hallucination and an odyssey taking place within an amazing Rocky Mountain panorama.