The Chain of Eco-Homes Competition for Greensburg

TreeHugger and Planet Green have been covering the rebuilding of Greensburg with posts and TV; TreeHugger has also watched closely the development of FreeGreen, which produces and then gives away house plans. (Why? I try to explain in Free Green Turns House Design Business On Its Head)

Now they and their partners at Greensburg GreenTown are giving away money too,in a design competition to build The Chain of Eco-Homes ( video with sound will start). Three houses will be built in the town as demonstrations of affordable, durable and innovative homes.

Competitors have to meet an unusual list of requirements, including a tight budget:

We’re asking for each Eco-Home to be buildable with only a modest mortgage. We welcome designs of all sizes, as long as they cost less than $110 per square foot. That means that a 1400sf home would cost $154,000. On a 30-year mortgage set at 6% interest that means a monthly payment of roughly $1,000. Rule-of-thumb says that an annual household income of $51,000 should be able to afford this payment.

and an unusual program:

Design your home with education in mind. We envision interactive demonstrations of the latest in green products, technologies and concepts. At the same time, we want families to be able to imagine what it would be like to live in each home. Get creative about how you demonstrate heating/cooling, electricity generation, green materials and passive solar/ventilation design. We’re looking for innovative, yet practical solutions.

But one of the more interesting aspects is the use of material for the basic structure of the house. One of three systems must be used, and the best of each will be built: