After receiving $260,000 in funding, researchers at Mississippi State University anticipate beginning a ground-breaking research project that requires them to build experimental houses prone to southern environmental factors.
The U.S. Forest Service’s forest products laboratory voiced concern regarding termite infestation, high-winds events like hurricanes and tornadoes, and humidity to Terry Amburgey, a professor in forest products. Amburgey will head a cooperative project to improve housing durability.
Using federal funding, the Coalition of Housing Experts gathered universities throughout the country to tackle region-specific problems. The problems in Mississippi they must address include termites, moisture leaks and high-winds situations.
The project has two main goals. First, it will design and build a demonstration and research house on campus. David Lewis, an architecture professor, will design and oversee the construction of the house.
“Our objective is to design and construct a sustainable house and landscape that employs 75 percent less energy than the typical house presently built in the southeastern United States,” Lewis said.
Amburgey said that once the house is built and encounters natural problems, the researchers will continue experimenting and designing it to improve it as it ages.
The other goal remains to create the first fest center in the United States to study the Formosan subterranean termite, an insect not indigenous to the South. Departments will continue their cooperation in constructing a research center in McNeil at a Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, where they will test various products’ effectiveness at deterring the termites.
Researchers hope their work yields more than academic recognition.
“Hopefully we can produce a design guideline that is cost efficient and results in fewer structural failures,” said Chris Eamon, a civil engineering professor.
The researchers say they look forward to assisting Mississippi with their research, which will use state resources to boost the economy.
From million-dollar houses to mobile homes, all buildings experience similar problems ranging from moisture leaks to air quality. By creating feasible solutions to these problems, researchers plan to save homes.
Once the design plans are complete, a construction company will be contracted.
Although approval of the plot is still pending, Amburgey said they might build the house on a sloped lot between the end of sorority row and the current landscape architecture building.
“We don’t want to build it on a level site,” Amburgey said. “We want to build on a sloped lot to show people what they must do if they choose to build on such plots.”
Once the building is complete, it will open as a demonstration house for the public. With clear viewing ports on the sections of the walls and computerized kiosks, visitors will be able to inspect the house and understand its design.
“Visitors to this house and grounds will experience both an environment and displays that give concrete evidence of how everyone can and should reduce energy consumption,” Lewis said.
Further explaining the possible impact of this research, Amburgey said: “The neat thing is it is not just involving forestry products, but a group from architecture, civil engineering, landscape architecture and mechanical engineering. If we can make this work, this is going to be very significant to MSU and Mississippi. We will be the only university that I know of where departments are cooperating like this.”
Others involved with the project include Thomas White and Ralph Sinno, civil engineering; Pete Melby, landscape architecture; and Carl James, mechanical engineering. Some graduate students from each of the departments will also assist.
The money the university received for the project will not cover all research expenses, Amburgey said.
“They’re providing the seed money to get it started,” Amburgery added.
However, none of the researchers are daunted by their impending task.
“Nothing is certain,” Amburgey said. “That’s why they call it research.”