Mobile Homes Go Green

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.