Middlebury, Vermont - June 20, 2011
It is not your typical construction site.
"Every single aspect is student-run," project manager Melissa Segil explained.
And the farmhouse there is not your typical home. The 1,000 square foot space is the work of 85 Middlebury College students serving as the project's builders, architects, and engineers. When it's done 30 solar panels will provide power to the 2-bedroom home built for a family of four.
"It is not an off the grid home but it's net zero; over the course of the entire year the home produces at least as much energy as it is consuming," Segil explained.
The project is part of a contest sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Twenty college teams are competing to design and build energy-efficient houses powered by the sun.
"What I think is really special about this home is that it is built to be a home, so when you walk in you can see the nice gable form that's everywhere in Vermont, we have this beautiful greenhouse wall that's going to be erected on the south side," said Chester Curme, a student engineer.
Much of what you'll find inside the home comes from right here in Vermont, including many of the support beams, and the hardwood floors that were harvested at Middlebury College.
"If we can reduce the amount of things from far away, we can reduce the embodied energy of the entire project," project manager Addison Godine said.
Students are finding other ways to save as well, with energy efficient windows and environmentally friendly insulation.
Teams will be judged in 10 different categories ranging from the home's design and construction to what it costs to build. This crew's on track to come in at about $260,000.
"The main thing we are trying to do with this project is show that sustainable living is accessible," Segil said. "It's not for engineers, it's not for hippies, it's not a fringe movement; this is a movement for everybody."
A movement that's gaining momentum in part due to students taking what they've learned in the classroom and putting their skills to work in real life.
"We spend a lot of time in the classroom learning about theory and green design, sustainability principles, but now we get to apply them," Segil said.
Win or lose the home will become a permanent fixture on campus when a group of students move in next spring.
The home is set be complete this August. It will be trucked in pieces to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where it will compete against homes from across the country this September.
Keith McGilvery - WCAX News
