The homes' wooden frame will eventually be surrounded by a thermal envelope that regulates temperature and minimizes the need for additional heating and cooling. (Photograph by Christina Nunez)
The homes' wooden frame will eventually be surrounded by a thermal envelope that regulates temperature and minimizes the need for additional heating and cooling. (Photograph by Christina Nunez)
Laying the Foundation for Sustainable Housing in D.C.
Before the special ventilation system is installed, the solar water heaters added, and the insulated windows are fitted at a new set of super-efficient homes in Washington, D.C., the foundation must be laid and the wooden bones erected. Last month, several of us from National Geographic arrived to help do part of that work as volunteers for Habitat for Humanity.
The six row houses being constructed by Habitat for Humanity, a Great Energy Challenge grantee, will be passive homes, which means they will be specially insulated and have a much lower energy footprint than the average home. The construction site lies on a residential street that, like much of Northeast Washington’s Ivy City neighborhood, is a place in transition.
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