Aug 20 2009
ABODE Builders, New England's premier green homebuilder, and Plymouth State University (PSU) recently joined forces to rehabilitate the University's Eco House, an on-campus building devoted to sustainable living.
The Eco House mission is to demonstrate environmentally sustainable technology in a residential setting, to provide hands-on experiential learning opportunities to PSU students and the surrounding region, to collect and disseminate information about sustainability and to help others live in more sustainable ways.
"It was very rewarding to work on a project with an institution that values the social and educational growth of their students and community," said Gerald Fransen, Senior Project Manager at ABODE. Fransen worked alongside the PSU team to ensure the project was completed prior to the start of the fall semester and within the specified budget, no small task when renovating a building that is over 100 years old. "The University's commitment to environmental sustainability was evident by the passion and dedication their team brought to the project. The Eco House creates a positive impact on their students and our community as a whole, and we were proud to be chosen to lead the renovation efforts," added Fransen.
Students will occupy the building this fall, and the project will continue to develop ways to show how the average single-family home can be retrofitted for sustainable design & alternative energy sources and how residents can lessen the environmental impacts of their own choices and actions. Katherine Holder, a PSU student who has worked on the Eco House team from its inception, has gained invaluable hands-on knowledge and experience that will benefit both her personal and professional future. "Sustainability is really important to me so the Eco House project has been a wonderful learning experience," Holder said. "Being a part of this project from idea to reality has taught me so much about construction, green building techniques, and what it takes to manage and complete a job of this size," Holder added.
ABODE's award-winning hybrid construction process is revolutionizing the green homebuilding industry by combining advanced production systems and green technologies that result in higher energy efficiency, superior and more environmentally-friendly construction techniques, and faster delivery time.