Rift House

RIFT house: Regenerative Ingenuity for Tomorrow

Located in the rift valley of the Rio Grande, at 5,300 ft elevation in the high desert of New Mexico, this 3,800 square foot house provides its occupants with a comfortable refuge from intense sunlight and heat, large daily temperature swings, violent thunderstorms, airborne dust, the occasional earthquake and wildfire, and cool winters. The RIFT house is a sustainable counterpoint to the ancient adobe construction style of the region. The exterior is Pueblo style while the interior is high tech minimalist with a palpable connection to nature. 

The RIFT House was conceived to demonstrate how a home with reduced material use can achieve excellent energy performance, create a healthy and stimulating indoor environment, and an outdoor environment that helps to regenerate the local ecosystem.  The design centers on creating a tight, super-insulated building envelope; achieving net positive energy use; and using only materials that are recycled, repurposed waste, or sustainable. It is a model for future-oriented sustainable and affordable homes.

Key features:

- Factory-built Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) building envelope with R35+ walls and R65+ roof to achieve very low thermal mass with high insulation value.  Exposed painted OSB ceilings diffuse sunlight and provide interior sound attenuation while allowing the sounds of rain to enter the living space

- Orientation of R7.5 triple glazed windows and doors provides dynamic and diffused lighting throughout the house and views of the Sandia Mountains

- Energy recovery ventilation system for air exchange and filtration also avoids need for bathroom exhaust fans

- Heat gain reduced by white reflective roof, 45% of roof area shaded by solar panels and roof deck, and removeable 80% infrared-blocking exterior solar screens on clerestory windows that are installed during cooling season

- Insulated polished concrete floor without additional floor covering materials acts as thermal storage to maintain temperature in the house at a constant 73 degrees.

- HVAC system using variable refrigerant flow air-source heat pump with 7 interior zones for both heating and cooling and constant air filtration. Exposed equipment and lines for easy maintenance and reduced use of enclosure materials. Annual energy use is 5.4 MWh.

- 11 kW solar PV system generating >19 MWh/year versus 12 MWh/year use with two EV chargers

- All countertops, bathroom tile, cabinets, and window shades made from recycled/recovered materials

- All electric kitchen appliances, LED lighting, zero VOC paints, and low water consumption fixtures

- Hot water via electrically powered Sunamp heat battery with recirculation to avoid water waste

- Half of the property planted with native grasses and wildflowers selected to sequester carbon, offer food and habitat for native species, and provide open space

- All Xeriscape installation with drip irrigation, NM native species, minimum impermeable surfaces, and runoff directed to trees and plants

Media links with additional information

• Instagram RIFT_house for project history
• Su Casa magazine article about the house “Bare Bones Beauty”
• Videos by Mitsubishi Electric Trane USA on Youtube.  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3