Light-filled living room of the Phototropic House featuring exposed timber beams, expansive glazing, and interior spaces oriented toward natural daylight and garden views.
Front elevation of the Phototropic House, a Boulder custom home designed by AsOne Architecture where roof forms, windows, and outdoor spaces are organized around the movement of sunlight.

PHOTOTROPIC

A home built by phototropism, where movement, structure, and view follow the sun.

Dynamic roofs and purposefully placed windows organize this home around the sun’s path, aligning space, structure, and daily life with light.

Covered outdoor dining terrace oriented toward the sun, extending the home's daylight-filled living spaces into the landscape.
Front entry of the Phototropic House where sloping roof planes and natural materials express a modern home designed around sunlight.

Guided by the subtle movements of tectonic plates, the design lifts and shifts volumes to create a sequence of lofted spaces beneath a sculpted, mountain-like roofscape. The interior opens from front to back as one continuous terrain, each room oriented to its own relationship with the sun and sky. Skylit voids rise through the structure like illuminated fractures, drawing light deep into the home and creating a sense of openness much like breaks in the forest on a mountain top.

Once complete the exterior will be a white envelope is interrupted by bands of natural cedar, while inside, radiant tile and color recall the mineral richness found within a mountain’s interior.
Currently under construction and scheduled for completion in 2026, Tectonic expresses the patient, generative forces that shape both landforms and daylight.

Music room where floor-to-ceiling windows capture changing sunlight and connect interior life to the outdoors.
Modern front porch with exposed timber structure, natural stone, and roof forms inspired by phototropism and movement toward light.
Architectural elevation illustrating the Phototropic House roof geometry, passive solar orientation, and daylight-driven design concept.
Front facade showing warm cedar siding, elevated outdoor living, and windows carefully positioned to maximize daylight.
Rear elevation featuring cantilevered living spaces, expansive glazing, and outdoor terraces connected to the Colorado landscape.
Linear windows reflecting the surrounding tree canopy and bringing natural daylight deep into the home.
Cantilevered upper level creating shade below while expanding views and daylight from the primary living spaces.
Sculptural corner detail expressing lightness through floating roof planes, slender steel columns, and carefully framed views.
Phototropic-inspired steel support column reaching toward the roof like a plant growing toward sunlight.
Architectural floor plan organizing living spaces around daylight, outdoor views, and the daily path of the sun.
Building section illustrating the relationship between sloping roof forms, skylights, and natural daylight throughout the home.
Living room organized around daylight, exposed timber beams, and expansive glazing overlooking the surrounding landscape.
Dining room beneath exposed timber beams with daylight entering from multiple directions throughout the day.
Modern kitchen designed around daylight, open living, and visual connections between family spaces.
Contemporary kitchen with a large island illuminated by natural light from carefully positioned windows and skylights.
Open kitchen organized along the sun's path, creating bright living spaces throughout the day.
Breakfast nook positioned to capture morning sunlight while maintaining views into the surrounding landscape.
Primary bedroom filled with soft daylight from windows carefully oriented for privacy, comfort, and changing seasonal light.
Open stair connecting the home's living spaces while bringing daylight deep into the center of the house.
Geometric wall tile inspired by natural branching and phototropic growth patterns.
Hexagonal floor tile creating subtle texture and light reflection throughout the bathroom.

QUIET PHENOMENA

natural forces that shaped this project

Quiet Phenomena icon celebrating natural topography and landforms as inspiration for architecture that responds to terrain instead of resisting it.
Quiet Phenomena icon inspired by natural exoskeletons, influencing expressive structural systems that protect while revealing architectural form.
Quiet Phenomena icon inspired by exposure to sun, wind, and weather, guiding architectural responses to climate, orientation, and seasonal change.
Quiet Phenomena icon exploring the horizon as inspiration for long views, proportion, and the relationship between architecture and landscape.
Quiet Phenomena icon inspired by branching river systems, informing circulation, interconnected spaces, and flexible residential architecture.

Rebuilt on the framework of the original house, the new design follows the behavior of phototropism — the way plants bend and grow toward light. Open kitchen, living, and dining spaces share illumination from multiple directions, while exposed beams and sloping ceilings stretch upward like branches reaching the sun. A south-facing deck rotates west to capture mountain views, with the existing tree softening summer glare. The breakfast nook cantilevers outward on a V-shaped steel column, projecting into the light like a new limb extending from the canopy. Inside, solar-evocative fixtures and an all-white bathroom amplify and reflect daylight, extending the home’s orientation to the sun deep into its daily life.

INFO

LOCATION Boulder, Colorado

TYPE New Residence

STATUS Built

AREA 5,000 SF

DESIGN

ARCHITECTURE AsOne

INTERIORS AsOne

STRUCTURAL Ascent Engineering

BUILDING SYSTEMS AsOne

LIGHTING Electrical Logic

ENERGY MODEL Scott Home Inspection

SURVEY Flatirons Inc.

GEOTECHNICAL Scott Cox & Associates

IMAGES

RENDERINGS AsOne

PHOTOGRAPHY AsOne

CONSTRUCTION

BUILDER Boulder Builders