Sustainable Village open house planned
October 1, 2012
UAF will host an open house at the Sustainable Village, the campus' newest student
housing option, Wednesday, Oct. 3 at noon. The housing is located off the Cold Climate
Housing Research Center drive at 1000 Fairbanks Street. Members of the UAF and campus
community are invited to attend.
The UAF Sustainable Village, a community of four homes on the southern edge of campus,
welcomed its first residents this fall. In addition to serving as a home for the students,
the four-bedroom units are a test bed for sustainable building and energy research.
Researchers will monitor the energy use of various systems, including an integrated
heating and ventilation system, a solar hydronic system and a biomass stove. They
will also study how foundations interact with permafrost and the economics of sustainable
building.
Each of the houses is about 1,400 square feet, with four bedrooms, one bathroom, a
kitchen, and dining and living areas. They are superinsulated and expected to use
the equivalent of about 250 gallons of heating oil a year, although some will use
no oil. UAF Community and Technical College students installed a 15-kilowatt solar
array at the site, which will offset electricity use and will provide hot water for
some of the homes. The students are part of instructor Dayne Ellanna’s solar photovoltaic
design and installation course.
Students pay $700 a month to live in the houses and will participate in the research
as part of their housing contract. In addition, the village will serve as a model
for sustainable community practices: Students will commit to a low-impact lifestyle
that includes recycling, conservation, and walking, biking or using public transportation
when possible. At least one of the students who plan to live at the village has also
participated in both the design and construction of the homes.
The university has developed the village in partnership with the CCHRC which will
lead the research portion of the project. CCHRC has designed and built the homes to
meet both research and student needs. The university self-financed the $1 million
project and will pay off construction costs with student rents. At less than $180
a square foot, the project is less costly than other campus construction projects.