Understanding Your Walls Because walls typically represent the largest exterior surface area of a home, from an energy standpoint they are the most important part of the building envelope. There are many ways to construct an energy efficient wall, including various types of structural framing, insulation, air and vapor sealing, and more. One thing that…
Public safety housing in Tununak A new home is being built in Tununak that will benefit the entire community. The village has been unable to recruit a Village Public Safety Officer in recent years because of a lack of housing. With funding from AVCP Inc., the village hired CCHRC to design a home that’s safe,…
Sustainable Village at the University of Alaska Fairbanks CCHRC partnered with the University of Alaska Fairbanks to design a sustainable student village that includes a cluster of super energy-efficient homes with shared open space, a community garden, and footpaths between buildings. The village will be on University property adjacent to CCHRC’s research center. The first…
“Holistic Approach” Pilot Project in Oscarville In Fall 2014, a group of rural development professionals and agency leaders held the first roundtable on a Holistic Approach to Sustainable Northern Communities. The roundtable brought together federal, state, and local partners to develop a more collaborative approach to projects in rural Alaska. While issues like energy, housing, transportation,…
Galena Prototype Home The 2013 ice jam on the Yukon last spring unleashed some of the worst flooding in Alaska history, filling Galena with icy water two feet above the 100-year flood line. Ninety percent of homes needed repairs and more than 20 needed to be entirely rebuilt. CCHRC collaborated with FEMA and the Alaska…
Newtok/Mertarvik Relocation CCHRC is working with the Newtok Village Council on several projects to help the community relocate. Newtok is a village on the southwest coast of Alaska that is severely threatened by erosion and melting permafrost. The community is in the process of moving to a new site on higher ground, called Mertarvik. Prototype…
