TERRA House Ribbon Cutting

After more than three years of research, design, and planning, the TERRA (Technologically + Environmentally Responsive Residential Architecture) demonstration house is complete! The ribbon cutting ceremony and formal opening of the house, which is located at the northeast corner of North Main and Greenlaw, is on Friday, February 27 at 10 a.m.

Following the ceremony, the house will be open for tours February 27, 28, and March 1, as well as every weekend in March (from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays). Tours are free and open to the public.

MLGW was pleased to work over the last three years with University of Memphis faculty, students and contractors in the design and construction of this innovative energy-efficient, environmentally-sustainable residence. Aside from the public awareness benefits of TERRA, we have been delighted to see how eagerly U of M students embraced the concept of sustainability in residential housing.

TERRA stands in the midst of one of the largest green neighborhoods in the nation, the Uptown neighborhood. Houses in Uptown built since 2003 have all been constructed through MLGW's green building program, EcoBUILD. These homes utilized MLGW standards designed to achieve a 30% energy savings--but, on average, have actually exceeded those savings targets. (34% electric savings and 56% natural gas savings, average household vs computer-modeled typical baseline home.)

TERRA includes many cutting-edge innovations to minimize the use of energy and natural resources and, as such, sought not just EcoBUILD certification but also the U. S. Green Building Council's LEED for Homes and the American Lung Association's Health House certifications.

TERRA is the first home in Shelby County to participate in TVA's Generation Partners solar power generation program. TERRA is creating solar power through 2.1 kW of PV panels on the roof and using that power in the home, then sending any momentary excess to the electric grid.

Go see the TERRA house for yourself!