Cold Climate Housing Research Center

The Cold Climate Housing Research Center's building and infrastructure research and testing facility is located on the Fairbanks campus. It was completed in September 2006. CCHRC was organized as an industry-based nonprofit corporation. In June 2020, staff became employees of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The CCHRC nonprofit continues to own the building.

The facility is designed and constructed to meet the exacting standards of the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold rating.  Every material, building technique and system in the structure, from the foundation to the mechanical systems, is designed for cold climates and is being monitored and evaluated for operational efficiency in all weather conditions.  It is a living test center with over 400 built-in monitors to assess performance of everything from the moisture content of the walls to the slightest shift in foundation. 

In January 2011, the USGBC awarded the center platinum status under the LEED standards, the highest rating available. The center is the world’s farthest-north commercial building with LEED platinum certification.