HBEER initiative recognized for multi-disciplinary approach

The University of Kentucky’s Office of Community Engagement recently selected the Houseboats to Energy Efficient Residences (HBEER) program as one of 15 partnerships to feature in their 2014 Carnegie Reclassification Report.

The University of Kentucky’s Office of Community Engagement recently selected the Houseboats to Energy Efficient Residences (HBEER) program as one of 15 partnerships to feature in their 2014 Carnegie Reclassification Report. The HBEER initiative was conceived in 2009 as a joint initiative between UK’s College of Design and the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER). Omni Architects’ vice president Michael Jacobs was a participant in the project through his role as adjunct professor at UK’s College of Design.
The goal of the HBEER initiative was multi-pronged: to address low-cost, energy-efficient housing and to redirect Kentucky’s houseboat manufacturing industry, which was decimated by the economic downturn. The majority of houseboat manufacturing facilities in the four-county area around Somerset, Kentucky ceased operation or drastically reduced output, producing dramatic, long-term job loss. The HBEER initiative proposed to design and develop concepts, prototypes, and manufactured housing units that are highly energy-efficient at a target cost of $100,000. The manufacturing occurred in redesigned, refitted houseboat factories using local, retrained workers, and ultimately produced affordable, energy-efficient housing – a win/win for the Kentuckians that manufacture the units, as well as those living in them.
The Office of Community Engagement selected the HBEER initiative from 150 campus-wide initiatives, based on a number of attributes including significance to the targeted community, multi- and interdisciplinary focus and positive outcomes for both the participating students and the community. According to the OCE, HBEER was one of the highest ranked partnerships in these areas. Lisa Higgins Hord, the OCE’s Assistant Vice President for Community Engagement stated, “In short, your project was selected because of its high quality, impact for the partnering communities, and likelihood for sustainability”. The reclassification process occurs every five years and is required for the University of Kentucky to maintain its Carnegie Foundation status as a community engaged institution.