Housing developers looking for ways to build energy-efficient and culturally relevant housing now have a model for the task. In fact, they have 22 of them.
That’s how many tribal housing projects using sustainable and resource-efficient construction the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Enterprise Community Partners have identified. Eight of them were showcased at a recent event in Washington that was attended by representatives of several of the tribes involved.
An example of sustainable housing construction? The Native Village of Kwinhagak, Alaska, last year built two homes that each used a different energy-efficient design. Members of the HUD/Enterprise Sustainable Construction in Indian Country initiative (mandated by Congress) got to observe these closely, as they made a site visit to Alaska last year and actually helped with the home builds.
The two houses there are called the octagon house and the rectangle house, and they feature two different truss systems. The octagon house features a roof truss and the rectangle house an integrated truss.
At the St. Regis Mohawk tribe, which straddles the borders of New York State and Canada, the tribal housing authority completed construction in 2011 on a “cutting edge” housing development of 20 units.
“The buildings were built with insulated concrete. Other energy efficient technologies and strategies include metal roofs, blown-in cellulose insulation, insulated slab foundations, low-e windows, solar tube system domestic hot water, Energy Star appliances and CFL lighting,” according to a HUD report.
The Navajo Housing Authority, largest in Indian country, is implementing three projects: “construction of 1,200 housing units, master planning in each of its five districts and development of a sustainable communities design standard.”
A fourth program highlighted the Nez Perce Housing Authority in Idaho and its desire to build nine duplexes to house 18 low-income families in Lapwai, Idaho. The NPHA has asked the Sustainable Construction project for a consult on how to “improve energy efficiency at the project.”
In Arizona, project members met with the Cocopah Indian Housing and Development members to increase the sustainability of its housing stock and “help its tenants save on expensive air conditioning bills.”
In a sixth example, the Pokagon Band of Indians “began their culture-based development at Dowagiac, Mich., with an integrated cluster design.” In all, 34 homes are planned.
Two other efforts highlighted at the event were projects at the Muscogee Creek Nation in Oklahoma and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
