Location: Topeka, KS
Date: 2023-
Status: Under Construction
Services Provided:
- Architectural Design
- Energy Modeling
- Construction Drawings
- Prefab Design
- Structural Design (Framing)
- Prelim HVAC Design
In 2023, Helia engaged the non-profit multi-service organization SENT, who serves the neighborhood of Hi-Crest as a community developer. Among SENT’s first new builds the first net zero home in Topeka, which was sold in 2023 and was designed by Michael Gibson’s Net Positive Studio at Kansas State University.
Helia worked with SENT to develop a prototype home that would offer a simple design, affordable price, and net zero performance while fitting into the Hi-Crest neighborhood. Following Helia’s residential design philosophy, the house maximizes daylight, space, and function inside, with modest exterior accentuated by a porch and two-color paint scheme. The kitchen/living/dining room has tall ceilings and big windows that offer the airiness of a larger home, while interlocking with the private spaces beyond in efficient 1197 ft2 footprint.
The home was designed to be configurable to multiple sites, with a porch and garage that can be reoriented to face the street in a shallow or corner lot configuration. The all-electric design is predicted to use about 5700 kWh of energy annually: close to 1/5 of the energy a typical midwestern home used in 2021, and will save the homeowners thousands of dollars a year in energy costs.
Helia LLC 