Students at Cal Poly Pomona weren't afraid to tackle two major challenges at once, and their project may provide a path toward more eco-friendly and affordable housing design.
As detailed by The Poly Post, the university's student-run newsletter, a group of students across multiple disciplines brought their vision of Roots House to fruition over three semesters of dedication. Numerous sponsors, including Siemens, Mitsubishi Electric, and Gerber, supported the work.
Students on the project believe their efforts could help solve the housing crisis in California, where the university is based.
The state's lack of affordable housing is a multilayered issue, but as the project's official website points out, the situation has been exacerbated by rising global temperatures, which have led to an increase in extreme weather events. As detailed by The Washington Post, disasters like wildfires have priced some residents out of areas they could previously afford.
The house, which entered the 2023 Orange County Sustainability Decathlon, took sustainability and health into consideration, avoiding "red list" items that contain harmful chemicals and using weatherizing and carbon-soaking materials, including hemp and bamboo.
Hemp and bamboo have both been used in construction for thousands of years, but they have recently been receiving increased attention in the United States, with reduced electric bills and less pollution and deforestation associated with construction among the benefits.
According to the UN Environment Programme, around 37% of planet-warming pollution is produced by the building and construction sector. Finding ways to improve energy efficiency in our structures and reduce pollution during the build process will help create a healthier future.
The Roots House project began with 24 architecture students and 24 engineering students, per the school paper, but it took more than 100 contributors to complete.
"We wanted to make it modern, we wanted to keep that style and break the idea of the house being old and farm style," design lead Kevin Chimpen told The Poly Post.
In addition to winning third in water use and conservation, as well as sustainability and resilience, the Roots House tied for first in the energy efficiency and health and comfort categories at the decathlon.
Photos of the house on the initiative's website reveal an open, welcoming structure that appears to let in plenty of natural light. At this time, the project is accepting requests for customized Roots ADUs, though there aren't any specifics posted about the pricing structure.
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