Geos Vision

Naturally Powered: Passive solar design, solar PV & ground source energy power Geos homes and cars.   Naturally Powered

Geos Checkerboard LayoutPassive Solar Design — Geos homes are positioned in the neighborhood to provide maximum solar access. During the darkest days of winter when the sun is the lowest, all South facing windows receive full sunlight to help heat the home. In the hottest days of summer, overhangs and deciduous trees prevent the sun from hitting any windows directly, keeping the homes naturally cool.

Geos Solar PVFully electric homes – Solar PV powered  —  The mechanical system replaces the furnance with electric heating and cooling using energy recovery ventilation and heat pumps, controlled by air quality sensors. Solar Photovoltaics (PV) generate all required electricity.

Geos Solar Carports for Electric Vehicles (EV) Ready for electric vehicles — EV charging is available in all homes. Extra PV on the roof for creating the possibility to completely decarbonize living.


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People Connected People Connected

Geos Central Square and Farmer's MarketMixed-Use Neighborhood — Geos offers a diversity of home options, commercial and live-work opportunities.  This includes a mixed-use Main Street which features ground floor shops and office space with residential living above. Geos residents will have access to essential neighborhood services such as health and beauty care, financial and tax consulting, education and art studios. 
Geos Neighborhood Park
Parks, Pathways and Community Places — Geos features a prolific pedestrian network, anchored by town squares and greens. They provide  activity plazas and gathering spaces for all occasions, as well as play areas, gardens, and mailbox kiosks. All paths lead to the Ralston Creek Regional Greenway that connects to schools, recreation centers, down town Arvada and urban centers.
Geos Co-HousingCo-Housing Communities — Geos will feature a Co-Housing neighborhood with homes formed around an open space or courtyard. It will offer a great sense of community, and an array of shared facilities, gathering spaces, gardens, and a playground.  A Common House features meeting and activity spaces, a kitchen and dining room, and other resident amenities that can be shared with the larger Geos Neighborhood. For more on cohousing visit cohousing.org and  whdc.com.
Pocket Neighborhoods

Image Credit: Danielson Grove, Ross Chapin Architects

Pocket Neighborhoods — Geos includes many Pocket Neighborhoods, or clusters of homes gathered around a central landscaped commons. These enclaves foster uniqueness, neighborhood connections, and community. For more on Pocket Neighborhoods, visit pocket-neighborhoods.net.

Geos Community AmmenitiesCommunity Amenities — Geos is interesting and walkable for all ages — kids, teens, seniors.  There are places to grab a cup of tea and sit outside, places to play and socialize, places for events, as well as quiet walks and woods where one can meander alone. The Ralston Creek bike trail leads to the Apex Center, West Woods Golf Club, West Woods Elementary School, and further on to the mountains and Coal Creek Canyon.


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Great Investment Great Investment

Geos homes make you money from day one.

Net Zero Energy — Geos homes use “net-zero energy” from the utility grid. This means that the home is built so efficiently, that the rooftop solar panels produce as much energy as the house will consume over the course of a year. Depending on their size, the Geos home will save between $1,200 and $2,400 on utility bills in the first year compared to if the home were built to normal building codes. And as utility prices increase, the savings gets even better.

Cash Flow Positive in the First Year — The average Geos home costs about 8% more than the same home built to normal building codes. For Example, in the Geos Townhomes, if you incorporate the additional costs into your mortgage, your annual payment goes up by $1,092. If you subtract that from the annual energy savings, the Geos home is actually puts $228 back in your pocket in the first year!

Traditional Home Geos
Home
Yearly base mortgage $17,532 $17,532
Efficiency & solar costs rolled into mortgage $0 $1,092
Yearly energy cost $1,320 $0
Total yearly cost (first year) $18,852 $18,624

Operating cost difference


Year over Year Savings — Since a Geos Home’s  utility bill is locked in at $0, as the utility rates for other homes go up over time, the amount of money you’re actually saving compounds substantially. Hover over the graph to the right to see how much money can be saved over time.

Tax incentives — On top of all that, the interest on that $1,400 mortgage increase is tax deductible. And, many of the energy efficiency improvements at Geos qualify for Federal Tax Credits.

Cumulative savings with a Geos home:

Year: :

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 Edible Landscapes Edible Landscapes

Geos Community GardensCommunity Gardens – Community gardens and composting areas are located conveniently throughout the neighborhood. Several acres of land may be devoted to small scale vegetable and fruit production, and Community Supported Agriculture.

Geos Edible LandscapeFruit Tree Terraces – At Geos, many homes face onto common greens ringed with fruit trees, creating mini orchards of apples, pears, plums, and cherries.  They are extensions of the home, offering outdoor places for community gardening and neighborhood get-togethers.
Geos Civic AreasLocal Food – Processes of nature and agriculture are interwoven at all scales of neighborhood life. The Central Square is designed to hold a farmer’s market.  Landscaping in common areas include fruit bearing shrubs and berries.  And even private yards are designed to accommodate sunny vegetable gardens.

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Water Conscious Water Conscious

Geos Civic AreasCivic Stormwater — Stormwater management is conceived holistically and at all scales.  Streetscapes, community greens, and squares are fed by rain and snow melt, and filter urban run-off.  Permeable paving for water infiltration is used for pedestrian ways and plazas.
Geos Percolation ParkPercolation Parks — Percolation Parks soak up rain and snow melt.  They feature neighborhood amenities, urban agriculture, and wildlife habitat. They are placed prominently in the neighborhood and provide ease of access, human scale, and a diversity of uses.
Geos Street Tree Rain GardenStreet Tree Rain Gardens — Street Tree Rain Gardens receive and filter surface runoff from streets, alleys, and the surrounding environment, while irrigating streetscape trees and plantings.

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Health & Well Being Health & Well-being

RecoupAerator from Ultimate AirIndoor Air Quality — Geos homes have the highest level of indoor air quality thanks to extremely air tight construction combined with 24/7 fresh air ventilation. Low VOC finishes keep pollutants out of the home, and HEPA filters provide effective protection for asthma and respiratory allergies.
Geos Outdoor LivingOutdoor Living — Geos puts an emphasis on comfortable, quality private and public outdoor spaces. Private outdoor space on each lot is shaped like an outdoor room instead of distributed around all sides of the home as unusable narrow side yards. The neighborhood design supports pedestrian walkability, community food, and environmental stewardship.
Geos Sustainable Materials Example

This hand-stressed hickory flooring from EcoTimber is 100% FSC Certified from well-managed forests, and made with formaldehyde-free, zero-VOC adhesives.

Sustainable Materials — The finishing options are no and low toxic, and from renewable sources. Floors are bamboo, sustainably harvested wood, cork, and recycled content ceramic tile. Paint and finishes are no-VOC.

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