It’s hard to believe the school year has passed by so quickly! Matt Blomquist’s seniors are graduating, and his juniors will return as seasoned veterans ready for continued action the Taylorville net zero Pretty Good House project.
I visited in April and May, with the photos below providing activity descriptions and showing progress over the last few weeks. The house is now insulated with a new wood fiber insulation product. And as of mid-May, despite lots of rainy weather, a high-quality steel roof has been installed. The THS PGH is looking like a house, but there is still a lot to do!
In April, TimberHP visited the site to observe installation of their wood fiber insulation product. Emily Mottram, PGH-cofounder, and architect who donated architectural plans for the THS PGH project visited to see her design become reality. Dan Edelman from TimberHP visited the site to oversee installation of their wood fiber insulation products.
In May, steel roofing was delivered and installed once our rainy spring weather let up. Matt Blomquist got his exercise, as he does every day on site with his students, racing up the scaffold to instruct students on roof panel placement, and then back down to instruct students on trimming and folding the bottom edge of the panels.
A few observations as we’ve followed the Taylorville high school students, and the importance of establishing more programs like this in communities across North America:
- Students feel a well-deserved sense of accomplishment. They now see their efforts resulting in a house. It wasn’t very long ago that they were in the footer trench laying ICCF foam block foundation walls.
- Equally important to students learning construction skills is critical thinking and project planning as they move through different phases. Rarely in our classroom environments are we able to develop student “meta-cognition”, the important thinking that goes on behind activities. Projects like the THS PGH develop this important skill of strategic thinking…how to organize people and activities to accomplish a goal efficiently.
- Matt Blomquist uses the project to introduce new construction materials and building techniques into the community. Established builders rarely have the luxury of experimenting and trying new methods because the cost of failure is too much. Having a local house construction training program as Taylorville High School is a great way to bring new innovations to a community. Local builders visiting the site can view the new techniques and decide if it’s something to start using without taking risk.
- And perhaps this is the best part. When I asked students how they felt about building one of the healthiest and energy efficient homes ever built in Illinois (and beyond), they didn’t realize they are doing anything special. To this upcoming generation of builders, this is how a house should be built!
We’re excited to see the THS PGH project to its completion!
Thank you, Matt Blomquist for the excellent program you’ve established in your community and for letting us follow your progress.
Thank you, Emily Mottram and followers of PGH for creating a concept that encourages others to explore and innovate as they create healthy, energy efficient, and economically sustainable homes for themselves and for the next five generations or more who will live in their house.
