Could This Build New Albany?

Take a look at this article by Betsy Pettit, president of Building Science Corp., www.buildingscience.com that originally appeared in the June/July issue of Fine Homebuilding magazine which discusses the Building American program through the U.S. Department of Energy.

http://www.buildingscience.com/resources/articles/2005-06_small_house.pdf

The objectives of Building America, www.buildingamerica.gov, are to build homes on a community scale that:

• Use less energy
• Are faster to build
• Cost less
• Provide a healthy environment for inhabitants
• The house is desinged as an infill house and the author gives a very good explanation of the advantages of infill.

To me the house doesn't seem designed to be a starter house (after all 2,880 sq ft sounds huge to someone who lives with another person in less than 1,000 sq ft) and while the article talks a lot about affordable construction it doesn't offer this as a solution for low-income housing. A house like this would be for someone who wants to live in an urban neighborhood while enjoying the features of a new house.