ecoMOD
ecoMOD is a design / build / evaluate project at the University of New Mexico. The focus of the project is to create high-performance housing for affordable housing clients and organizations. Interdisciplinary teams of students and faculty collaborate to design and build the homes — and then evaluate their environmental impact, energy performance and potential for commercialization. Since 2004, ecoMOD has created eight new homes using offsite construction strategies, and one of the homes has been commercialized by Cardinal Homes, a modular home manufacturer. ecoMOD teams have also renovated or improved 14 homes.
ecoMOD Founder and Director John Quale started ecoMOD during his 15 years at the University of Virginia School of Architecture, where he also served as an Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Architecture Program. When Quale took the position of Chair and Professor of Architecture at UNM, he brought the project with him.
UNM Faculty that participate in ecoMOD with Quale include Assistant ecoMOD Director Donavan Boone; Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Land Art, Catherine Harris Senior Lecturer of Architecture; Serge Martinez, Assistant Professor of Law and Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture; and Mark Russell, Associated General Contractors Endowed Chair in the Department of Civil Engineering, who is also the Director of the Construction Management and Construction Engineering Program.
The first partner in New Mexico is Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity. Students began the design and construction process for the highly energy efficient new modular home with Habitat in 2016.
