Is City of Boulder's 'Project Ponderosa' a Viable Solution to America's Housing Crisis?

Habitat for Humanity, the Boulder Valley School District and Alpen, a maker of energy efficient windows recently partnered to build a factory that constructs passive inspired, modular homes

LOUISVILLE, Colo., Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpen High Performance Products (Alpen) today announced its involvement in Flatirons (Boulder) Habitat for Humanity's Ponderosa Community Stabilization Project. The project is a joint effort with Flatirons Habitat, the City of Boulder and the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) to provide the city's residents with affordable, energy efficient housing options in the form of modular homes built at the BoulderMOD factory - a facility located on a BVSD campus. Each modular home will feature Alpen's next generation of thin triple glass units, which were Energy Star's highest rated windows for 2024.

The first completed home built for the project is now open for public viewing.

"At Flatirons Habitat, we're not just building homes, we're transforming lives," said Flatirons Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Dan McColley. "Every home we produce opens the door to stability, opportunity, and hope for a local family. Partnerships with innovative, community-centric companies like Alpen Windows make that transformation possible. Its high-performance, energy-efficient windows help ensure that every home we build is healthy, comfortable, and affordable for generations to come. Together, we're proving that sustainable construction and social impact go hand-in-hand. Together we're creating communities where families can thrive."

All of the Ponderosa Project's modular, energy efficient homes are being constructed at the BoulderMOD factory, a cutting-edge facility managed by Flatirons Habitat. It was built and financed by the City of Boulder for BVSD students as part of the district's APEX program, which as of today is the only high-performance building curriculum nationwide for high school students interested in pursuing a high-performance building career. The APEX program is also supported by the Construction Education Foundation (CEF).

"We are excited for the Ponderosa Project's residents, but also the students that get to learn high performance building skills at the BoulderMOD factory," said Alpen CEO Andrew Zech. "The impact of passive-house design on the health and wellbeing of the occupants of these spaces is huge, and that doesn't consider the potential energy savings. Windows only make up about 8% of a building's surface area, but account for roughly 45% of the energy loss or gain. High performance windows can mitigate that energy loss, which adds up to big savings on monthly energy bills."

What makes the Ponderosa Project unique? A Q&A: 

• What is the story? The Ponderosa mobile home community was impacted by the 2013 flood. The city of Boulder has since partnered with Flatirons Habitat and BVSD on a rebuilding effort called the Ponderosa Community Stabilization Project. The project was created to offer affordable ownership of energy efficient homes in Ponderosa's former location. These homes are currently being built at the BoulderMOD factory. 
  
  The Ponderosa Project provides a path to ownership for residents with very low incomes through sweat equity and are given loans which they can afford.
  
  
• Why Does it Matter? The U.S. currently has a shortage of 7.1 million available, affordable rental homes for renters with extremely low incomes, and the barrier to entry for purchasing a home has increased considerably since 2019. The minimum income required to purchase a home in the US, according to a housing market study, is $116,986, an increase of almost 50 percent since 2020. Boulder County's median home price exceeds $850,000. The average rent is more than $2,448 per month for a two-bedroom apartment, outpricing many residents, including essential workers like teachers, nurses, and service staff.
  
  
• Why now? The Ponderosa mobile home park suffered damage during Boulder's historic 2013 flash flood. The neighborhood was then purchased by the City of Boulder as the result of a Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR), which was triggered by the flooding. The City began by replacing the underground water, sewer, electrical infrastructure, and installed streets. The City then worked with the residents on designing their new community and provided input into the home designs.
  
  
• What is the Apex program at the BoulderMOD factory? The Apex program is the first in America to provide students who are interested in a career in high performance building with a solid career path and active industry mentors, at a time when the building industry needs more skilled tradesmen and women. The Construction Education Foundation supports the APEX program through its partnership with the BVSD. 
  
  Through this and other CEF-supported programs throughout the Denver metropolitan area, high school students receive construction-based education in the classroom and through real-world opportunities including internships, shadowing and job placement. According to a report issued last January by Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction industry needs to attract 439,000 net new workers in 2025 to meet anticipated demand.

"The homes that we're working on are going to real families in Boulder who need affordable housing," said Apex student Elan Castillo Veltman, who is set to graduate in Spring of 2026. "That gives the work more meaning. I'm not just learning how to build. I am learning how to build something that matters."

About Alpen High Performance Products 

Alpen High Performance Products engineers and manufactures advanced window, door and glass solutions for energy-efficient buildings, including Passive House and Net Zero designs. Alpen's high-performance fenestration systems meet the most demanding thermal, acoustic, budget, and quality standards.

Media Contact:

Reid Wegley

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SOURCE Alpen High Performance Products