The "Green Dream House"
Members of Catholic Charities Operation Helping Hands, the LSU Ag Center, Building Science Corporation and the Department of Energy broke ground recently for the Green Dream, a prototype home design that is wind and flood hardy, extremely energy efficient and affordable.
Planning for the Green Dream House has been more than a year in the making. Funded by a grant from the Department of Energy, the design will feature patent-pending adjustable piers, paperless drywall, wind resistant (to 135 mph) materials and construction, totally borate treated, completely sealed envelope and highly energy efficient HVAC systems. The design and materials allow for the house to be hosed out and cleaned up, if flooded. Energy efficient construction is often prohibitively expensive. The Green Dream house will be affordable.
“This is a highly energy efficient building system fashioned for the unique needs and challenges of the New Orleans area,” according to Dr. Claudette H. Reichel, professor at the LSU Ag Center. It will survive and benefit the homeowners no matter what the future brings.”
The house is located at 1248 Caton St. in the Gentilly area.
Operation Helping Hands has used more than 16,000 volunteers to gut and mold remediate 2,000 homes. Forty-seven homes have been repaired and repainted and 45 are under construction.
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