The design of Daniel W. Karlov, Jamestown resident and architect, has been chosen for a "net-zero" house to be constructed in Columbia.
Karlov designed and assembled a model for the "net-zero" house and presented it to the Columbia Community Development Commission as part of a competition. Working with Show-Me Central Habitat for Humanity and others, the building is intended to produce as much energy as its occupants use. It is expected to utilize universal design standards to allow for maximum accessibility for disabled or elderly.
An empty lot in central Columbia could become the site of the experimental, affordable and energy-efficient house.
According to the designer, the walls are R-30 insulation rating and the roof R-60. It also is designed with an insulated floor slab. The roof is also designed for solar panels - most to produce electricity with two to provide hot water though a heat-exchange system using ethalene glycol.
Even a grass planting is planned for a small portion of the roof.
This is not the first sustainable design of Karlov. Several years ago, he built a straw house with a steel frame at 345 North Mill Street, Jamestown.