Need help designing a system? Check out Unico's FREE Duct Design Service!

Register your Unico System and receive an extended warranty on your installation!

Shop online and save more! Shop Clearance items added to our Promotions!

  • Login
  • |
  • Contact Us

Need help designing a system? Check out Unico's FREE Duct Design Service!

Register your Unico System and receive an extended warranty on your installation!

Shop online and save more! Shop Clearance items added to our Promotions!

  • Login
  • |
  • Contact Us
  • Get Started
    • Consumer
    • Maintenance
    • Consumer FAQ's
    • Professional
    • Commercial
    • Contractor FAQ's
    • The System
    • Components
    • Unico Twist Fit System
    • iSeries
    • Advantages of The Unico System
    • Green Technology
    • Spot Cooling
    • Beautiful Installations
    • Fifteen Restaurant
    • Industry 80 Hair Salon
    • Truesdale Beach House
    • Woodland House
    • FIND MORE INSTALLS...
    • Articles
    • A Resolution You Can Keep: Updating Your Home with Central Air
    • New Vertical Air Handlers Provide Even More Flexibility for The Unico System
    • Save Space and Increase Comfort
    • What is a Small Duct, High Velocity Air Conditioning System?
    Cloudland Station Cottage

    Cloudland Station Cottage

    Featured Unico Installation

    Learn More  ›
  • Resources
    • Product Registration
    • Design Services
    • Manuals & Software
    • Literature
    • Unico University
    • AHRI Search Tutorial
    • Technical Drawings List
    • U1218 FCU
    • Vertical AHU
    • Blower AHU
    • Coil AHU
    • Accessories
    Unico University

    Unico University

    Online Resources and Training

    Learn More  ›
  • SHOP
    Quick Order ›
    • Indoor Units
    • Modular Blowers
    • Modular Coils
    • Indoor Accessories
    • Vertical Fan-Coils
    • Wall-Mounts
    • Electric Furnace
    • Controls
    • Accessories
    • Spare Parts
    • Outdoor Units
    • Heat Pumps
    • Spare Parts
    • Duct System
    • Filter Grilles
    • Return Duct
    • Return Air Adapters
    • Supply Plenum
    • Aluminum Core
    • Sound Attenuator
    • Supply Fittings
    • Supply Accessories
    • Spare Parts
    • Accessories
    • Supplies
    • Indoor Air Quality
    • Tools
    • Replacement Part Guide
    • Promotions
    • Clearance
    Unico Twist-Fit System

    Unico Twist-Fit System

    New supply duct connection system reduces steps and time!

    Learn More  ›
  • Find A Contractor
  • 0 Cart Items
  • Get Started
    • Consumer
      • Consumer
      • Maintenance
      • Consumer FAQ's
    • Professional
      • Professional
      • Commercial
      • Contractor FAQ's
    • The System
      • The System
      • Components
      • Unico Twist Fit System
      • iSeries
      • Advantages of The Unico System
      • Green Technology
      • Spot Cooling
    • Beautiful Installations
      • Beautiful Installations
      • Fifteen Restaurant
      • Industry 80 Hair Salon
      • Truesdale Beach House
      • Woodland House
      • FIND MORE INSTALLS...
    • Articles
      • Articles
      • A Resolution You Can Keep: Updating Your Home with Central Air
      • New Vertical Air Handlers Provide Even More Flexibility for The Unico System
      • Save Space and Increase Comfort
      • What is a Small Duct, High Velocity Air Conditioning System?
  • Resources
    • Product Registration
    • Design Services
    • Manuals & Software
    • Literature
    • Unico University
    • AHRI Search Tutorial
    • Technical Drawings List
      • Technical Drawings List
      • U1218 FCU
      • Vertical AHU
      • Blower AHU
      • Coil AHU
      • Accessories
  • SHOP
    • SHOP
    • Indoor Units
      • Indoor Units
      • Modular Blowers
      • Modular Coils
      • Indoor Accessories
      • Vertical Fan-Coils
      • Wall-Mounts
      • Electric Furnace
      • Controls
      • Accessories
      • Spare Parts
    • Outdoor Units
      • Outdoor Units
      • Heat Pumps
      • Spare Parts
    • Duct System
      • Duct System
      • Filter Grilles
      • Return Duct
      • Return Air Adapters
      • Supply Plenum
      • Aluminum Core
      • Sound Attenuator
      • Supply Fittings
      • Supply Accessories
      • Spare Parts
    • Accessories
      • Accessories
      • Supplies
      • Indoor Air Quality
      • Tools
    • Replacement Part Guide
    • Promotions
      • Promotions
      • Clearance
    • Quick Order
  • Find A Contractor
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  1. Home
  2. Beautiful Installations
  3. Colorado Barrel Vault Home

Login

Forgot Password?
New to Unico? Create an account  

Colorado Barrel Vault Home

Unico Distributor

Unico Contractor

Southwest Heating & Cooling

303-791-2679

Download

Super Sized - Colorado Barrel Vault Case Study (Single Pages).pdf

Overview

The town of Bow Mar, an affluent suburb south of Denver, was incorporated in 1958 after the post-WWII building boom. Most of the three hundred homes that make up Bow Mar were constructed in the late 1940s and 50s, and are mid-century modern single-story houses built in the prairie-style popularized by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The area derives its name from two nearby bodies of water, Bowles Lake and Marston Lake. With expansive, sprawling lots, wide streets and lake views, it’s an idyllic place to live.

In 2007, a retired couple from Littleton purchased one of the original ranch houses on the shores of Bowles Lake. They considered Bow Mar the perfect neighborhood to spend their golden years and indulge their passion for restoring and collecting vintage sports cars. But, charming as the original construction was, it lacked the appointments and amenities of modern living. Like many in this prosperous community, the owners decided to replace the original home with a new, custom-designed residence. Luckily, one of their sons happens to be an architect.

Reflecting the prairie-style of the original residences, the son designed a single-story, custom ranch home with an exterior of native flagstone. The most unique aspect of the home’s design is the inclusion of three barrel-vault roofs which seamlessly extend to create exterior portico overhangs and eaves. However, the curved slat-wood ceilings presented a challenge for incorporating central HVAC. While the main heat source is underfloor hydronic radiant heating, dropping ceilings or building soffits to conceal ducting for conventional A/C and supplemental forced-air heat was out of the question, so the designers and builders opted to include a small duct system when the new home was built in 2008.

Benefits - Ideal for heating or cooling buildings with:

  • Electric Heat
  • Hot Water Heat
  • Chilled Water Loops
  • Steam Heat
  • Radiant Floor Heat
  • Inadequate of No Ductwork
  • Limited Space
  • Inadequate Cooling on Upper Levels
  • Baseboard Heat
  • Radiator Heat

Strategy

Unfortunately, the small-duct system chosen by the builders was an off-brand product. While the flexible ducting allowed for the supply runs to be cleverly hidden in the flagstone support columns and central, open-air fireplace, the original system was noisy and inefficient. The owners loved the aesthetic of small-duct HVAC, but were unhappy with its performance.

Enter Unico Preferred Contractor Mike McCollum and his team of experts at Southwest Heating & Cooling. Mike knew the type of system was the right way to go - the builders had simply chosen the wrong small-duct product. Mike and his team proposed upgrading to The Unico System, and specifically recommended Unico’s ECM (electronically commutated motor) air handler model. The ECM includes Unico’s patented S.M.A.R.T. board technology, which allows for programmable airflow control while dramatically reducing the power needed to operate the air handler. The Unico ECM is highly energy efficient and much quieter than conventional fans/blowers.

Of the seven high-efficiency boilers contained in the house, one is paired with The Unico System ECM and a Unico hot water coil to provide supplemental heat for the radiant floor system also tied to this boiler. While radiant floor systems are an excellent form of heating, The Unico System’s on-demand heat is perfect for those chilly “shoulder” months when immediate heat is needed for temporary stretches; firing up the boiler and radiant floor system would be slow and inefficient.

To eliminate the noise associated with the original small-duct system, Mike’s team increased the number of supply runs and outlets, better balancing the airflow and reducing noise-generating pressure.

Results

“The owners are thrilled with the upgrade to The Unico System,” says Mike. “They’re especially pleased they didn’t have to sacrifice the aesthetics associated with the open design of their home, and they are satisfied with the quietness and efficiency of the new system.” In a house with so many boilers – three of which are dedicated to outdoor driveway and patio snow melt systems - the new efficiency provided by The Unico System is quite noticeable and a welcome addition.

“When it comes to small-duct technology,” adds Mike, “picking the industry leader is a must. Like the Rocky Mountains, The Unico System towers over the rest.”

Barrel Vault Home Gallery

×
1 / 6
2 / 6
3 / 6
4 / 6
5 / 6
6 / 6
❮ ❯

Need Help? Contact Unico Support

Call Customer Care

(800) 527-0896

Chat available

7am - 5pm CST

Send us a message

on Twitter

No time to chat or call?

Send us an email.

  • ABOUT US

    • About Unico
    • Credentials
    • Compliance
  • SUPPORT

    • Unico Customer Care
    • Technical Support
    • Design Services
    • Find Your Local Unico Expert
  • POLICIES

    • Privacy Policy
    • Warranty Policy
    • Returns Policy
    • Liftgate/Residential Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use

Connect With us

Linked In Facebook Youtube Twitter Instagram Pinterest

Our Credentials

Made in USA Nari USGBC

© 2021 The Unico System | Privacy Policy

Add the Item # and the quantities of the products you want

ITEM #
QTY

Cart Summary (0 items)

Your shopping cart is empty.