“We decided we wanted to be in a small town near a big city. We started traveling the country,” recalls Golden architect Perter Ewers when determining where to settle down and start a family with wife, Beverly. “We traveled to the East Coast, Southern California, then Colorado. We went to Castle Rock, Loveland, Fort Collins, Boulder. Then we came to Golden and just loved it.”
Photo: Architect Peter Ewers sits in front of his Golden office, formerly the old school house on Washington
In 1994 Ewers set up shop in Golden. It didn’t take long for him to get involved in the community. He was on the boards of the Planning Commission, Golden Landmarks Association, the old Golden Pioneer Museum, and the Downtown Development Association. He helped put in place the 8th and 9th Street Historic District and the East Street Historic District. He now leads the Golden Community Commons that puts on the bike cruise.
Recently Ewers Architecture chose to only accept clients who desire sustainable architecture. “Net zero energy is always our goal on every project,” says Ewers. “Designing all electric buildings – not using natural gas at all – is the only way we’re going to make a difference in global warming. And, as an architect, that is what I can do.”
Ewers says he designs projects that are all electric, not using any natural gas, using passive solar and natural lighting, high levels of insulation, tight construction with no air leakage, and healthy building materials that do not off-gas, are made in healthy ways and do not take too much energy to create. “By going all electric, we know how to create energy, sustainably.”
Ewers often hears from his former clients. “The owner let me know how amazingly comfortable the house was to live in,” says Ewers. “He loves how the sun comes in the winter time, and how in the summer it is cut out so the house doesn’t over-heat.”
Ewers and his firm have designed pro-bono projects in Colorado and in other counties. “Giving back to the community near and far is really important to us,” says Ewers. “We have ways, as architects to help out organizations and people that can’t afford to hire an architect.”
Recently, Ewers Architecture has done pro-bono work locally. In Golden, they have done projects for the Visitor Center and the Christian Action Guild as well as Action Center in Lakewood, and a school in Ft. Collins. Internationally they have worked on a children’s hospital in Niger Africa, a school in Libera and a school in Pakistan. Remembering a pro-bono project in Niger, Africa, Ewers says, “This hospital was an existing hospital. They wanted to expand and double the size. To work all day and night for two weeks and come up with a plan and to show it to them and say ‘yes, here’s how you can do it.’ You see their eyes light up and get excited about it. That is just really rewarding.”
https://www.ewersarchitecture.com
