INTERVIEW: Architect Hank Louis on ‘Design Build Bluff’ and Sustainable Homes

<a href="http://www.designbuildbluff.org/" target="_blank">Design Build Bluff </a>is a university design and build course started by <a href="http://www.arch.utah.edu/?faculty_and_staff%3Ehank_louis">Hank Louis</a> at the University of Utah School of Architecture. It's the type of program you wish you were a part of during school and one that you will probably want to help out with when you learn more about it. DBB just finished its seventh sustainably-built house in Navajo Nation in Southern Utah. Their latest house in a string of super affordable and sustainably-built structures, is a testament to the hearts of those involved and the amazing education in green building the students are receiving. I had a chance to sit down with Hank Louis for a juice after he returned from Bluff, Utah, where they base their construction operations out of. As you can imagine, we had a lot to talk about, especially about DBB's exciting new developments and how it differs from other university programs -- read on for our exclusive interview!

This is the Rosie Joe House, built for a single mother working three jobs to support her family. Eight students from the University of Utah designed and built this home.

Completely off-grid without water, this home provides enough energy and water from rainwater collection for the family's needs. The home won an honor award from the regional chapter of the AIA in 2004.

The home also includes a rammed earth Trombe wall for temperature regulation, a ceiling and roof structure made completely of found pallets, and interior walls constructed of recycled signs.

The Sweet Caroline house is a juxtaposition of the Anglo and Navajo worlds, with a straight and round wall in the center of the home, which merges into a large central room, where the two worlds can mingle. The design was inspired by the owner's experience of living in both the Anglo and Navajo world.

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The home is largely constructed of Flex-crete, a fly-ash byproduct produced on the Navajo Nation, which provides thermal mass and is reminiscent of older adobe structures, but also has stronger structural properties.

The home was constructed for Caroline and her daughter Audrey, who put their own labor and sweat into the construction, helping out the DBB students to build their home.

Like all the DBB homes, this one is also off-grid and super energy-efficient. It is located in the Navajo Nation in Southeastern Utah.

Studio 23 is the latest of the DBB homes in Southern Utah. This home was built for a family who had need of a potting studio. The two-story home is made out of SIPs panels, while the potting studio uses load bearing straw bale construction.

Recycled and reclaimed materials were used extensively throughout the home. Reclaimed wood was used for the exterior and much of the interior including the stairs. Interestingly enough, a reclaimed car engine was transformed into a sink for the art studio.

This past spring 22 students from the University of Utah spent their semester living in Bluff, Utah and working on building this green home in the dessert. The home was completed mid May.

A PV system supplies all the power needed for the home, rainwater is collected for use in the home and grey water is recycled for landscape irrigation.

Starting this summer, the University of Colorado Denver will also take part in the DBB program and will start construction on their home in the Fall. Next spring, the University of New Mexico Albuquerque will join DBB and install a prefab house over the summer semester, making DBB a year-round program.