• Anderson Homes
• Christopherson Homes
• DMB, Inc.
• East Liberty Development Inc.
• e-co lab
• EQA Landmark Communities
• Harvest Park
• Hedgewood Properties
• Insight Homes
• John Laing Homes
• K. Hovnanian Homes
• Landmark Renovation & Building Co.
• Mattamy Homes
• McStain Neighborhoods
• Mercedes Homes
• New Era Homes
• New Town Builders
• Oakwood Homes
• Pine Mountain Builders
• Pulte Homes
• S&A Homes
• Solar Strategies
• studio26 homes
• Tindall Homes

Ecological Construction Laboratory

www.e-colab.org

Ecological Construction Laboratory (E-co Lab), a non-profit organization based in Urbana, Illinois, is committed to designing attractive, affordable homes with low energy costs. E-co Lab's research focuses on the European concept of a "passive house," a home that can maintain a comfortable interior environment without active heating and cooling. E-co Lab's research focuses on designing passive homes for low and middle-income families.

E-co Lab's first project began in 2002, when its founder and executive director, German-born Katrin Klingenberg, designed the organization's first passive home. Klingenberg wanted to demonstrate that a home can be designed and built to meet stringent passive-house energy standards in the severe climate of Central Illinois. The project's success inspired further research and design efforts. E-co Lab forged a partnership with the City of Urbana to design passive homes for qualifying Urbana families. "In building these homes, we demonstrated that they can be economically viable for low-income families," explains Klingenberg. "They're the first passive homes with measured, published statistics on financial energy performance."

Looking ahead, E-co Lab plans to apply the passive house concept in all climates for a wide range of homes. "This year, we're designing a home in California, which unlike Illinois, doesn't experience extremely cold temperatures. In addition, we've begun rehabilitating a concrete block home, which will involve more innovative design methods."

E-co Lab is excited about the potential affordability of passive homes. "We want to show the industry that building energy-efficient homes is market-feasible and should be employed on a broad scale," says Klingenberg. "We believe energy savings can and should be a best building practice in all homes."