Studio 804,
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kan., is home to Jayhawks football, the Douglas County fairgrounds, and just shy of 88,000 people. It's also home to a disproportionate number of super green buildings. That last factoid is largely thanks to Studio 804 at the University of Kansas (which also is in Lawrence). Led by Dan Rockhill, the 20-year-old institution is a design/build class for fourth- and fifth-year architecture students. Each year, the group designs (sometimes with the help of Rockhill's firm, Rockhill & Associates) and constructs a structure somewhere in or around town. They have focused on commercial structures in recent years (including an addition to the architecture school that was completed in 2014). But this year, the studio is getting back to designing houses. Specifically, a 1,812-square-foot house in East Lawrence slated to meet both LEED and Passive House standards—the third house to come out of Studio 804 over the years.
Why build so green?
Studio 804's first LEED Platinum building was a sustainable prototype for an arts center in Greensburg, Kan., which was devastated by a tornado in 2007. It wasn't just the first LEED Platinum project for the studio, however, it was also the first LEED Platinum building in the state of Kansas, and the first ever to be designed and built by students. "As an educator, I think it's important for me to contribute as much as I can to the conversation about sustainability and to demonstrate ways that we can address those issues," Rockhill says. The group's first LEED Platinum house followed in 2009, only to be topped in 2010 by the Prescott House, which was both LEED Platinum and built to Passive House standards.
But Rockhill's goal isn't only to reach the students, it's also to educate the community. "We invite the public anytime," Rockhill says. "I tell my students: ‘You're like a dog on point. As soon as you see somebody even look twice, you bring them in, you explain the house.' That way we begin to bring something to the community that is a solid and sustainable effort, hopefully without compromising design."
If you build it...
Despite the conversations that have dominated the design community for years, at first it was hard to sell the residents of Lawrence on the idea of green-rated homes. The Studio 804 model is to buy the land, absorb the cost up front, and then try to sell at a slight profit to continue the cycle anew. But the first super green homes they designed came online during the recession. Completed in 2009 and 2010, they were leased until Rockhill found buyers in fall 2011.
