NEWSROOM
LaHouse
formally opening doors in July
June
27, 2008
A home is the largest
and most important purchase most people make. To help homeowners
make the most of that investment while also doing their part for
the environment and future generations, the LSU AgCenter and its
partners have developed the Louisiana House Home and Landscape
Resource Center.
Known as LaHouse, for
short, the completed center will open for a Preview Open House
throughout the day July 15. It also will open Thursdays through
Saturdays for several weeks following that event to allow the
public to see some of the unique features incorporated into the
home’s construction. Full-service operations then are expected
to begin in the fall.
Located on the LSU
campus in Baton Rouge, the center focuses on housing and landscape
techniques specific to our region’s subtropical climate
and hazards.
The demonstration house
is designed around the concept of being a sustainable home. Its
design makes it energy and resource efficient, more comfortable,
safer, more durable and healthier for its occupants – including
exceptional indoor air quality and universal design.
An unusual and powerful
strength of the house and landscape is that many different options
are presented, and homeowners may pick and choose the options
that are either most affordable or that meet their needs or desires
for optimal performance.
Claudette Reichel,
housing specialist for the LSU AgCenter, said she is excited LaHouse
is nearing completion and will be ready to be seen as a finished
product. It had been exhibited in its midconstruction phases since
hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the state and forced many into
major rebuilding efforts.
“Both consumers
and professionals can see first hand and learn about many solutions
– from ways to protect their homes from hurricanes, floods,
mold and termites to the employment of highly energy efficient
and healthy building, air conditioning and lighting systems to
interiors that combine beauty, comfort and convenience with eco-friendly
benefits,” Reichel said.
The house will not
only serve as an educational showcase, but the garage is actually
a multimedia classroom for audiences such as builders, designers
and consumers to get the latest, science-based information or
to rent for their own educational programs. Cutaways and an unfinished
exhibit room will allow visitors to see the special components
used in construction.
Featured attractions
include not only the house itself but also the 7-acre site designed
around being a sustainable landscape exhibit. A pond on the site
will play dual roles in stormwater pollution prevention and in
the heating and cooling of the house through a geothermal heat
exchange system. Winding trails will lead visitors through drought-resistant
native plants, a rain garden and other special horticulture exhibits,
and a programmable irrigation system will minimize the amount
of water used to keep the plants healthy.
The LaHouse Resource
Center was made possible by the support of partners and private
contributors who share its vision of shaping the future with sustainable
homes and development. LaHouse key partners include the Louisiana
Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Building America Program. Top key contributors include Entergy
of Louisiana, Paula Garvey Manship, the Borate-Treated Wood Alliance
(U.S. Borax, Osmose and Louisiana-Pacific), Louisiana Home Builders
Association, Roy Domangue, Roy O. Martin Lumber Co. and Building
Science Corp.
For more information,
visit www.lsuagcenter.com
and click the “LaHouse” link listed under features.
You also can find information by visiting www.LouisianaHouse.org
or calling (225) 578-2378.
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