Homebuilders, collegians team up

During the next 50-75 years a plan for growth along Salt Lake Valley's west bench will require the expertise of trained architects who understand the need for the wise use of energy, land, materials and technology in building sustainable, enduring communities, Kennecott Land officials said.

Through a partnership between Kennecott Land and the University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning, 12 graduate students were paired with four homebuilders who build in Kennecott Land's Daybreak community. Destination Homes, Liberty Homes, Hamlet Homes and Bangerter Homes are four of Daybreak's eight homebuilders that were paired with three masters-level architects in the Kennecott Land Resource Conservation Housing program, otherwise called Suburban Redux.

"The intent of the program is to provide the students practical insight to their designs, help them understand the client-consultant relationship, understand the housing market, expose the builders to new and innovative designs, materials and green building practices as well as placement strategies that build a sense of community," says architect Stephen James, manager of Community Planning at Kennecott Land.

The students have been mentored by Kennecott Land and the four builders since January. Kennecott Land and each builder gave the students a set of guidelines to work within. Dave Bailey, the founder of Destination Homes, says the experience has been well worth the time as it has opened his eyes to the variety of new materials, approaches and design options. "Without this experience, the innovative approaches would have taken another 10 years or more to eat through the conservative construction industry. This has given us a jump-start to implement some of these ideas," says Bailey, who may use some of the student's ideas.

U. Assistant Professor Ryan Smith says his students have been energized by the experience and by how it greatly improved each party's understanding of the other's roles. "The students better understand how structures actually get built and the responsibility of the architect and builder to build in sustainable ways and to create places where people want to live. This experience opened a new conversation between homebuilders and architects," Smith said. "It has provided an excellent framework for innovative neighborhood design as well as opening up the options of using pre-fabricated and green building practices."