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Texas Association of Builders
March/April 2016
Builder Profile
A
lan Hoffmann is a green
designer and builder of modern,
innovative,
and
sustainable
homes in and around Dallas. His company,
Hoffmann Homes, was voted by
D Home
magazine as one of Dallas’ best builders
several years running. He built the first
ICF (insulating concrete forms) homes in
the Dallas-Fort Worth area and helped the
Dallas BA craft the city’s green ordinance
in 2007. Hoffmann’s own distinctive take
on building comes from the unique path
he took to get here. He came to building
through real estate, but before that he
was a Detroit boy who moved to Dallas to
study theater. “I went to graduate school at
the Dallas Theater Center where I studied
with Paul Baker,” said Hoffmann. “The
center is housed in a Frank Lloyd Wright
designed building, and there I became
fascinated with architecture and design.
We were also building sets that were pretty
elaborate in terms of construction.”
Hoffmann’s next wave of inspiration came
from a trip he took to the island of Ibiza
off the coast of Spain, his grandfather’s
homeland. “Ibiza is on the same latitude
as Austin, with a similar climate, but the
homes there don’t have air conditioning
and don’t need it, even in the summer,”
said Hoffmann. “They have three-foot-
thick stone masonry walls that retain the
ambient temperature of the ground and the
cool air from the nights. It’s an elegantly
simple concept for high efficiency.” In
the winter, a system of fireplaces built
into the walls help radiate heat evenly
throughout the homes. Hoffmann has
Alan Hoffmann | Hoffmann Homes
By Chad Andycha
Sustainable Building &
Stylish
Design