Sustainability at the Core: Chris Arelt Achieves LEED® Certification

We are excited to share that our principal, Christopher Arelt, has officially achieved LEED® Accredited Professional certification. This milestone reflects Chris’s dedication to designing homes that are as environmentally responsible as they are beautiful.

At Nautilus Architects, sustainability isn’t an afterthought—it’s an integral part of our design philosophy. With Chris’s LEED expertise, our clients can feel confident knowing their projects are guided by the highest standards in energy efficiency, healthy materials, and innovative building practices.

From geothermal systems to responsibly sourced materials, every detail matters. This certification further strengthens our mission: to create timeless homes that respect the environment while elevating the way you live.

Nautilus Architects is excited to be at the forefront of the Passive House movement.  Passive Housing is the gold standard of energy efficient building and requires virtually no energy use for heating or cooling.  The first Passive Homes were built in Germany and Austria 25 years ago and the concept is quickly making its way here to the United States.

The key components to building a passive house are:

• • • Air tight construction
    • Robust exterior insulation on all sides
    • Efficient  whole-house ventilation system
    • Thermal-bridge-free construction
    • High efficiency windows

We truly feel this exciting advancement in residential and commercial construction is poised for explosive growth over the next decade.  Our firm is well equipped and educated to be your top choice for Passive House construction and can partner with you throughout the entire process from design to final build.

Sustainable design is, well, here to stay. We are proud to announce that Christopher Arelt has earned distinction as a LEED-certified designer by the U.S. Green Building Council. Our approach to sustainable design is rooted in the essential nature of the site itself, the orientation of buildings to topography/sun, minimizing construction waste, and making appropriate choices for building systems and the material palette. We integrate innovative methods of dealing with passive cooling, natural ventilation, managing daylight, energy use, recycled and repurposed materials, life cycle cost analyses and green roof technology.