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Modern Eco-Smart Challenger in Alberta

Modern Eco-Smart Challenger in Alberta
Lori Andrews

Modern Eco-Smart Challenger in Alberta

Manitoba-based (Challenger Living) recently installed this three-module retreat on a serene hillside site in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. The 1,050 square-foot cottage was built based on a design by Herbert Enns and features comprehesive mountain views and a view of the historic Frank Slide.


This home was built in a factory in 38 days and installed in only two. The exterior features a beautiful rust color from the patina of unfinished Corten steel. As the exterior materials age, the home will melt into the surrounding landscape.


The interior is finished in both birch and fir plywood. As pictured, the bathroom is finished with corrugated galvalume, a Carson dual-flush toilet, and an experimental cattle trough converted into a bathtub.


The home was built for energy efficiency with R30 floor insulation, R30 wall insulation, and R50 roof insulation. Specifically, (the wall system used) a 2×8 wall with a double, staggered 2×4 stud system on 16" centers filled with Roxul mineral wool. The windows are a tripane, low-E, argon-filled version from Jeld-wen.


There is no cooling system planned for this prefab. Rather, the design of the home facilitates natural cooling with the warm air rising up the stairwell through windows in the tatami room.


All included, there is a bedroom, bunk-bed room, bathroom, kitchen, living room, covered deck, and an upstairs tatami room adjacent to the rooftop deck.


The article above originally appeared on Jetson Green on November 16, 2010. It was written by Preston: Founder/Chief Editor of Jetson Green. Preston is an entrepreneur, innovator, and LEED AP living near the mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah. You can follow him on Twitter at @JetsonGreen or connect on Facebook at JetsonGreen.

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