Partner: Stafford County Economic Development Corp
Location: St. John and Stafford County, Kansas
Area of Focus: Architecture, Construction
Departments Involved: Architecture
Project Funding: U.S. Department of Energy, KHRC
Executive Summary: Stafford Eco Devo engaged the Net Positive Studio at K-State to study the county’s housing struggles and develop a prototype home that could be built throughout the rural county, offering a quality home in affordable rental or purchase price ranges that could attract and sustain an essential workforce. The studio designed the home and constructed wall and roof panels that were assembled on site by students, Stafford Eco Devo staff, and volunteers. Various local contractors completed the build. The project construction budget was set at $125,000 and would use a vacant lot in the town of St. John.
Project Description: The prototype home was intended to demonstrate that affordability and net zero could be achieved at the same time, with the home designed around affordable but high-performing systems and appliances, with a 4.3 kW PV array installed on the roof to offset the home’s annual energy consumption. During the project, the studio engaged project stakeholders and community members to develop the final design following phases of community research, housing market analysis, and conceptual design.Following completion of the prototype, the home has been duplicated through 9 additional builds by local contractors, with more builds planned for the future. Visit Stafford Eco Devo’s website to see progress on the builds, which have been funded with grants and financing packages stemming from the success of the prototype home.
More detail about the home may be found on the Net Positive Studio’s website.
Kansas Better Housing Consortium 