Grantee Research Project Results

2013 Progress Report: Comparing the Sustainability of a Compressed Earth Block House to a Conventionally Framed House Built to National Green Building Standards

EPA Grant Number: SU835289
Title: Comparing the Sustainability of a Compressed Earth Block House to a Conventionally Framed House Built to National Green Building Standards
Investigators: Holliday, Lisa M. , Graham, Charles , Butko, Daniel J. , McManus, Bill , Williams, Scott
Current Investigators: Holliday, Lisa M. , Graham, Charles , Butko, Daniel J. , Williams, Scott , Crandall, Aaron , Sivuilu, Herve , DeFreitas, Kyle , Snow, Holly , Mall, Peter , Curtis, Stephen , Frame, Michael , Waddle, Jesse , Kincanon, Kymber , Palmer, Jared , Huor, David
Institution: University of Oklahoma
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: II
Project Period: August 15, 2012 through August 14, 2014 (Extended to February 14, 2015)
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 15, 2012 through August 14,2013
Project Amount: $89,721
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Phase 2 (2012) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

The scope of the CEB residence has remained the same. A decision was made by the research team and CCHFH to build an identical residence at the same time as the CEB residence rather than using the existing residence as a control. This will make a more exact comparison as all the equipment in the residences will be the same age and model. All three residences are adjacent to one another, so climate and topography is practically identical.

Progress Summary:

The study is progressing well. The house is currently under construction. The CEB walls are up and the electrical conduit is currently being installed. Cleveland County Habitat for Humanity (CCHFH) hopes to have both houses closed off to the exterior elements by December. A link to recent photographs is listed below on page two. We have experienced a couple delays based on CCHFH scheduling of construction sequence for both residences, but overall the project is successfully progressing. Our original schedule was somewhat optimistic, so we are therefore slightly behind based on the following reasons:

1. We did not realize the pace at which CCHFH builds houses. Their average house construction takes 12-18 months.
2. The residential foundation contractor that CCHFH generally uses was not willing to construct a foundation that is similar to a commercial foundation and we had to find another concrete contractor, causing a 3-month delay.
3. The tornado in Moore, Oklahoma diverted many CCHFH volunteers to assist homeowners devastated by the tornado. The tornado also created a shortage of residential housing contractors.
4. We have had more rain this spring and summer than in many years and which caused a portion of the delay in pouring the foundation.
5. A decision was made not to use the existing residence (larger area than a typical CCHFH due to wheel-chair bound occupants) as a control and instead to build a new control house at the same time. This makes the two residences the same age, closer in size to a typical CCHFH residence, and ability to have exactly the same HVAC system and other details, but it also caused the faculty and students to redevelop the construction documents after the original set was complete.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 11 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

Earthen Construction

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

2014

Final Report

P3 Phase I:

Comparing the Sustainability of a Compressed Earth Block House to a Conventionally Framed House Built to National Green Building Standards  | Final Report