I find this really interesting (although I am in the building field for a reason, right) The Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) in Fairbanks Alaska is building prototype houses for the, that's right, cold climate.
These homes use pre-manufactured integrated walls and trusses that make building the frame easier with only a small crew and no heavy equipment. The foundation is an impressive steel piling system that allows the resident to level the house despite shifting soils. Using super-insulation and a heat-recovery system CCHRC’s research shows that the home will use 10% – 15% of the energy of a average home in this region.
Full article first appeared in the October 2014 print edition of Alaska Business Monthly magazine.
