Jan. 17, 2008 -- Mobile homes may be affordable, but they're notoriously flimsy, low quality, and far from environmentally friendly.
But a new prefabricated house could turn the trailer home stereotype around. The GreenMobile is an affordable home that uses sound construction methods and energy-saving concepts to lower utility costs and raise value.
It could improve living conditions for impoverished people, and could also serve as immediate disaster relief housing that can later be converted into a permanent residence.
"We're trying to provide an alternative housing unit for the typical rural citizen," said Michael Berk, professor of architecture at Mississippi State University.
That person may own land passed down from family members, said Berk, but may not have the money to build a house. Now, the only option is a trailer home that diminishes in value as soon as it's purchased. Frequently, those who can least afford a house become saddled with a bad investment
Berk has been seriously investigating a solution since 2001, and last year, won the EPA-sponsored Lifecycle Building Challenge for the building's design.
His GreenMobile model combines a modular approach and new, energy-efficient concepts with the pre-existing strategy of mobile home production and delivery.
For starters, Berk proposes constructing the floor, walls, roofs, and interior walls out of structural insulated panels made from sustainable lumber.
The modular aspect of the building is evident in the pre-fabricated "plug-in" rooms, porches, and overhangs, which will allow owners to adapt and add to their homes according to changing needs.
Shaped like a typical mobile but oriented in a particular direction, the GreenMobile is designed to exploit regional climate to maximize natural light and ventilation.
For example, Berk suggests facing the short ends of the house east and west, with the long sides facing south and north. Porches and roof overhangs will keep direct sunlight off the building on the south side during hot months but still provide plenty of natural light. The low-angle winter sun will be able to penetrate inside during cooler months.
Other natural features, such as trees, will also be incorporated into the house's plan. Each GreenMobile unit will come with a site design suggesting where to plant local trees to maximize shade.
The house will also come equipped with energy-efficient appliances and mechanical systems. Some of those include Energy Star-rated appliances, compact fluorescent lighting, composting toilets, a solar hot water heater, rainwater harvesters, and photovoltaics to collect solar energy.
The mobile home could see little or no utility costs, and if connected to the electric grid with net metering, home owners could even find themselves selling excess energy back to their utilities.
Berk is "trying to make a healthier and greener version of what has traditionally been unhealthy and not so green," said Brad Guy, a Ph.D. student in the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn. Guy is one of the creators and judges of the Lifecycle Building Challenge.
But it may be difficult to get house manufacturers to adopt the new style.
"Any kind of change is very difficult for the construction industry in general," said Guy. "If it's not a time-tested thing, it's difficult to make changes in the face of risk and liabilities." And, he added, "Any kind of new building system requires trained people to implement it, and that's a slow process."
But Berk is hopeful. Not only would such a mobile home improve the lives of people living in poverty, it could also pad their pocket books.
Because the GreenMobile is designed to last longer than conventional mobile homes and accrue value, it could be financed through long-term, low-interest loans that would ultimately lower a homeowner's monthly payment.
Last December, GreenMobile received a $5.8 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to construct trailers for disaster areas. Berk is also working with the Mississippi Emergency Agency to modify the GreenMobile into a streamlined version called the Mississippi Eco-Cottage. Eighty units will eventually be built for Mississippi Gulf Coast residents.
Related Links:
our sites
video
mobile
shop
stay connected
corporate
