The Native Village of Kwinhagak (NVK) asked CCHRC to partner with the residents to design a home that is affordable, energy efficient, and healthy. At least one home will be built in summer 2010.
 

Project Background

CCHRC is in the process of designing a prototype-home with the people of Quinhagak, on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The Yup’ik Eskimo village of 700 is on the Kanektok River on the east shore of Kuskokwim Bay, less than a mile from the Bering Sea coast. Quinhagak’s housing stock is aging, and has been compromised by extensive water infiltration, rot, and mold. Of particular concern are 55 homes from the 1970’s that exhibit advanced structural damage and must be replaced. The village invited CCHRC to evaluate the current housing stock and issue a housing assessment report. 

The Housing Plan

The village council (The Native Village of Kwinhagak) is pursuing multiple programs to replace the existing housing stock as soon as possible. They formed the Kwinhagak WorkGroup consisting of village leaders, members of U.S. Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Senator Mark Begich’s Office, and various other entities with the goal of relieving the housing crisis in the village. CCHRC has partnered with the village and the Kwinhagak WorkGroup to design an affordable housing prototype that can be constructed quickly and affordably, uses far less energy than the existing housing, and reflects the culture and lifestyle of the residents.

Charette and Design Process

The CCHRC design team traveled to Quinhagak in November 2009 to gather input from villagers on the problems with their current housing, and explore possible solutions that the prototype could address. The primary goals of the design are to be energy efficient, warm, dry, mold free, durable, affordable,  and replicable by local labor resources. CCHRC returned to the village in February with a preliminary design and floor plan, which was later approved by the village.

Quinhagak House Prototype

Similar to the soft edges of traditional dwellings in the region, The Quinhagak House is octagonal in plan. This design lessens the surface-to-volume ratio, which creates significantly more heated space and less surface area exposed to the cold than a rectangular model of the same area. Additionally, a laturaq, or Arctic Entry, is wrapped around the windward side of the house. The laturaq will create a bufferfrom powerful southeastwinds, keeping wind-driven moisture out of the walls and heat loss to a minimum. Protection from the wind is important in Quinhagak, where wind-driven moisture is one of the primary causes of failure in the existing housing stock.

The Quinhagak Prototype will use the small direct vent high efficiency-oil heatingappliance and a clean burning wood-stove as backup. CCHRC’s initial energy-model of the home estimates under 150 gallons of heating oil a year will be needed to keep the occupants comfortable. Existing homes in the village can use up to five times that amount. The home has no hallways and an open kitchen/living area, reflecting the cultural and family traditions of the community. At 950 Square Feet (excluding the laturaq entry), the home has a targeted cost of under $200,000, less than half of the cost of new homes recently built in the village.

The Research Center is currently testing two candidate wall assemblies with similar R-values; the more durable and affordable section will be implemented in the prototype. 

Schedule

CCHRC and the village will be developing the plan for procurement and staging through spring. The Prototype will be constructed July 2010 in approximately 4-weeks by local labor. CCHRC will monitor the home through the winter for heating performance, indoor air quality, and moisture infiltration. Data from the monitoring of the Quinhagak Prototype will be available on our streaming data page.

Please check for updates on this project as the year progresses.