Habitat Breaks Ground on LEED-Certified Home

Recent heavy rains didn’t dampen an April 4 groundbreaking for an energy-efficient home being built by Habitat for Humanity of Washington County, which builds affordable housing for low-income families.

The project at 3444 Clabber Creek Blvd. in Fayetteville is the first of its kind for the nonprofit, which has previously built 49 homes. This home is designed to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The council’s Arkansas chapter is a partner in this pilot project with Habitat.

A third partner is a Colorado-based company called BOULD LLC. Headed by CEO Shane Gring, BOULD will work with students from the University of Arkansas during the home’s construction, giving them experience in green building.

After the short groundbreaking ceremony, Mark Cloud, chairman of the USGBC-Arkansas chapter, said the partners in the project hope it will transform the marketplace by showing builders it’s possible to build affordable homes that are also environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

The event was held in conjunction with the USGBC-Arkansas’ state conference April 4-6 in Fayetteville.