News

Free Passive Solar Presentation
31 March 2010 — Architect Thomas Doerr will speak about what you need to know about passive solar home design to save over 80% of your home’s heating and cooling bills. You will learn what you need to do to take advantage of the clean, free heating and cooling from the sun, and to lessen your dependence on volatile dirty energy sources. It will be held at 7pm at the Meadows Library in Boulder, Colorado.

Rough Draft of Book Finished
10 February 2010 — Architect Thomas Doerr has sent to his editor the manuscript Passive Solar Simplified; Just what you need to know about designing a very energy efficient house.

Kruger+Cunningham House to be Published
April 2010 — A cover article in LOCALE magazine is being written about the Kruger+Cunningham House in Boulder, Colorado designed by Doerr Architecture.

Moore Studio to be Featured
May 2010 — A feature article in City and Mountain Views magazine is being written about the net-zero energy Moore Studio at an elevation of almost 8000 feet in Evergreen, Colorado designed by Doerr Architecture.

Free Passive Solar Home Design Presentation
14 April 2009 — The environmental group Clean Energy Action has invited Thomas Doerr to give his presentation Passive Solar Home Design; what you need to know. It will be at CEA’s monthly meeting beginning at 7pm in the Meadows Library in Boulder, Colorado. It is free and open to the public. Learn more at www.cleanenergyaction.org.

Doerr Art to be Exhibited
13 March 2009 — Paintings and photographs by Thomas Doerr and others will be in the first exhibition in the Phoenix Asylum gallery. The opening begins at 7pm at 2510 47th St., Unit D/DD in Boulder, Colorado. It is free and open to the public.

Doerr to Lecture at Residential Green Building Seminar
20 February 2009 — Six professionals specializing in sustainable design, including Thomas Doerr, will be speaking at the Residential Green Building Seminar in Denver. The seminars last all day and Doerr will be speaking about passive solar home design. Learn more at www.halfmoonseminars.com.

Finch House Wins Mayor's Design Award
21 October 2008 — The mayor of Denver presented the Finch House designed by Doerr Architecture its annual design award in the category "It's Easy Being Green". They cited the house's dynamic aesthetics, great passive solar design and other energy efficiency measures.

Doerr to Teach at Solar Energy International
4-8 June 2007 — Thomas Doerr will be one of the instructors of the Sustainable Home Design week-long course at SEI in Carbondale, Colorado. Along with Rachel Connor, Dan Chiras, Johnny Weiss, and others, Thomas will teach about ecological home design.

Troxell+Murphy House Featured on 9 News
23 April 2007 — For the TV station's Earth Day celebration, the Troxell-Murphy House in Boulder, Colorado was featured for its economical, green design and its architect, Thomas Doerr, was interviewed live.

Doerr Lectures on Passive Solar Design at SEI Conference
9 March 2007 — Along with experts on wind energy and photovoltaics, Solar Energy International invited Thomas Doerr to lecture in Golden, Colorado to solar industry professionals about passive solar design.

Doerr Architecture Powered 100% by Wind
February 2007 — All of Doerr Architecture's electricity is now supplied by clean, renewable, wind-generated energy so as not to contribute to global climate change.

Doerr Gives Passive Solar Presentation at NREL
25 March 2006 — The Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) and the Colorado Energy Science Center (CESC) sponsored a lecture by green building experts at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Thomas Doerr presented to a sold out audience of over 100 attendees about the essentials of passive solar design. Topics included proper building orientation, area and type of glass, solar shading, thermal mass, ventilation, room arrangement, daylighting, and other important ecological building strategies.

Solar Electric Rebates
February 2006 — Free money, courtesy of Colorado's Amendment 37, is the driving factor for an increase in new PV (photo voltaic) installations. Xcel Energy's solar-electric rebates total $4.50 per installed watt. Once new panels are operating, one can get over $10,000 back from Xcel. There is also a federal tax credit of 30 percent of installation costs, up to $2,000. The money comes from Xcel's entire customer base. Per Amendment 37 and related regulations, Xcel will charge all its customers an extra 1 percent on top of regular bills to cover program costs, so subsidize your own system.

Rebates for Large Energy Efficient Projects
26 January 2006 — Xcel Energy is offering $196 million in rebates from 2006-2013 for energy reduction in commercial buildings over 50,000SF and residential buildings over 150,000SF. Xcel's Bill Gruen said these rebates are for design fees, lighting, cooling, and industrial motors. Applicants must be Xcel electric customers in Colorado. Many of these rebates can also be applied to existing buildings. These rebates are in addition to federal tax credits and Xcel's photo voltaic (solar electric) rebates.

Troxell-Murphy Open House
16 July 2005 — Open House in Boulder, Colorado at the newly remodeled passive solar Troxell-Murphy home. View the Project

Passive Solar House Built
4 March 2005 — One of Doerr architecture's finest passive solar homes, the Finch House, was completed. With ample properly shaded southern windows, great thermal mass and excellent green construction detailing, this Denver home is expected to reduce its heating and cooling bills by 90%. View the Project.

Doerr Interviewed by Residential Architect Magazine
March 2004 — Thomas Doerr was interviewed for an article about appropriate use of recycled building materials by Nigel Maynard. The article, "Waste not: recycled building products turn trash into treasure", was published in Residential Architect magazine.

Doerr Thanked for Long Service on DDAB
18 December 2004 — Thomas Doerr received an engraved plaque and several gifts as a thank you from the city for serving five years on Boulder's DDAB (Downtown Design Advisory Board). DDAB is an appointed board responsible for ensuring the quality of all building projects in central Boulder.

Doerr Certified as Green Points Architect
7 February 2002 — Thomas Doerr was one of the first architects in Colorado to successfully test to be certified as a Green Points Architect. This certifies that Thomas understands the techniques required to design and build sustainable architecture.

Doerr Interviewed by Custom Home Magazine
January 2002 — Thomas Doerr was interviewed for an article about the best use of salvaged building materials by Katy Tomasulo. The article, "Household Hand-Me-Downs; Salvaged building materials give new homes a historic touch", was published in Custom Home magazine.