The house will be the home of a research center to design better materials to improve construction in extreme climates. The gizmos set up throughout the house will provide data to help researchers develop healthy, durable and affordable housing for those living in the Arctic as well as those in the desert.

It will also be among the nation's leading models for environmentally sound building, taking full advantage of recycled materials, natural light and water from rain and snow.

The Cold Climate Housing Research Center testing facility is a $5.2 million structure that will serve as a test laboratory and a demonstration facility that was made using innovative construction products and techniques.

"It's the leading edge in building technology," Hébert said. "It's here for research and a place where we will develop and test products for the housing industry. We'll come up with applied research for problems with building in the Arctic. We'll look at the issues and develop a research project to address those issues."

The public can have its first look at the house that Jack Hébert and his partners built at an open house set in Fairbanks for Sept. 23.

Hébert, owner of Hébert Homes/Taiga Woodcraft, has built and designed homes in Interior Alaska since 1974. He has received awards that recognize the quality and energy efficiency of his homes, including the first state of Alaska Governor's Award for Excellence in Energy Efficient Design, Energy Rated Homes of Alaska President's Award and Alaska State Homebuilder of the Year.

With details such as a spiral staircase, the house is both beautiful and efficient. PHOTO/Melissa Campbell/AJOC

There are other wintertime safety and efficiency concerns, too. Ice builds up along windows and doorframes in the winter, so that they can't be opened or closed well. Heating systems run constantly because it's so cold and the lights are always on to stave off the dark days.

Hébert founded the nonprofit Housing Research Center six years ago to develop better Arctic building materials and methods to avoid these issues. The organization soon saw that the research needs were too large for available space around Fairbanks, so the staff began developing partnerships to build its testing facility.

Partners include the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Alaska State Home Builders Association, Spenard Builders Supply, and well as several suppliers and financial institutions.

Certifying 'Alaska-tough'

The Fairbanks climate offers the best of the extremes to test a building and its inner workings. Fairbanks temperatures in a given year often range from a marrow-chilling 60 below zero to a sweltering 90 above.

The research facility has labs to test new environmental and structural aspects of Arctic home building.

The environmental lab focuses on product development and testing, and eventually will offer certifications showing that products have proven their mettle in cold climates. Those products will receive an "Alaska Tested, Alaska Tough" label.

The structural lab, leased to the UAF Institute of Northern Engineering, tests the structural integrity of building materials developed in Alaska.

The research center has already come up with some industry designs, including an emergency egress window that doesn't freeze or jam shut. Designed and tested in Alaska, it withstands shifting foundations.

The center also designed a mobile test lab, which tests doors, windows and walls. The lab can be driven, shipped or barged to any community to identify the best building practices for any region or climate.

It was used for testing wall units for moisture in Southeast. Tests conducted in Juneau helped center researchers modify a Canadian wall structure method to better accommodate Alaska climates. Referred to as the "residential exterior membrane outside insulation technique," or Remote, this method is proven to resist moisture intrusion and condensation in walls, extending the life of a home by eliminating mildew, rot and mold.

The technique uses a standard 2-by-4-inch wood stud, insulated frame system, but applies a vapor barrier on the outside of the structural plywood that is topped with six-inch foam insulation just beneath the siding.

"This was the only wall that would stay dry in Juneau," Hébert said. "It takes the vulnerable materials, the wood and such, and puts it in the same environment as the house. There's no worry of mold development because there's no moisture in the walls."

The center is testing different materials, such as recycled newspaper and fiberglass insulations, that are blown in the stud frames to determine which works best. Sensors measure temperatures and moisture content to see which works best.

The house has 3.5 miles of CAT-6 network wiring, much of which connects to 380 sensors that monitor various aspects of the house, including the permafrost under the foundation.

Laser levels currently watch for minute shifts in the foundation. Hébert said the center would like to eventually monitor that with GPS technology, but cost was an issue. The house sits on 2-foot-by-4-foot footings that can be jacked up or down - up to 4 feet if necessary - depending on the ground movement.

A LEED design

On the surface, the house looks like any other quality home, with tile floors, wood and wrought iron accents, and an impressive stone fireplace.

But the house was designed to be a leader in environmentally sound building.

Hébert said the center designed the building with an eye toward a LEED Platinum certification. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification process that grades buildings on various aspects of the use of green materials and techniques.

Platinum is the top certification. LEED evaluates buildings in areas that include efficiencies in water and energy, as well as the types of materials uses and the indoor air quality. If accomplished, the center would be the farthest-North, Platinum-certified facility in the world, Hébert said.

The research center used as many recycled materials as it could find, including the carpets, insulations and shingles.

The fireplace is a wood-burning, sealed combustion unit that heats up to 2,200 degrees, and could easily heat a 5,000-square-foot space for the day.

"The rock absorbs the heat and gradually releases it during the day," Hébert said. Heat is released through an in-floor radiant system.

On the positive side, the unit is cheap to run, it produces little ash and it looks nice. But, it costs about $12,000, not including labor for installation or shipping - it weighs about 12,000 pounds. "We want to bring the costs down," Hébert said.

Four 2,500-gallon tanks sit in the basement. Two collect filtered rainwater for use as potable water. The other two collect gray water, such as runoff from showers or washing the dishes. Gray water is used to flush toilets and other uses not suitable for drinking.

Black water goes into an onsite sewage treatment plant, a big, black box also located in the basement. After treatment, the gray water goes to the tank, and the sludge is used as compost.

Reconstituted sludge was used in the center's two roof gardens, where next spring, various native grasses and vegetables will be planted.

The air filtration system is a combination of two systems and will preheat fresh outside air by heat recovery ventilation and then filter the air through the same duct system to create good indoor air quality.

The lighting uses the most energy-efficient bulbs available. The system can sense when someone is in the room, turning on automatically - when it's needed. The building's design takes full advantage of natural light levels, with dozens of energy-efficient windows drawing in sunshine to every office and workroom.

The finish work uses local hardwoods and highlights craftsmanship from Interior artisans.

"This technology could be used in all Arctic regions, or in any extreme climate," Hébert said. "We think of ourselves as Alaskans, but we have circumpolar neighbors. We want to be a worldwide leader in addressing issues for building in the North."