You are here

Iowa » Central » Ames » ISU Energy Research House

ISU Energy Research House

-A A +A
1977–1978, Ray O. Crites

This is an experimental dwelling meant to indicate how a modernist architecture could respond to energy needs. A two-story trombe wall (a masonry wall that absorbs solar heat) projects as a screen to one side of the house. The wood-sheathed house itself is a rectilinear box in which great care has been devoted to the fenestration and detailing of the walls. With the growth of trees and shrubs around the house, it no longer seems as insistently modern as when it was built. In truth, it fits in well with the nearby housing, which seems closely related to spec housing one might find in California.

Writing Credits

Author: 
David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim
×

Data

What's Nearby

Parks Library
ISU Design Center
Model Farmhouse
Morrill Hall
Engineering Hall

Citation

David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim, "ISU Energy Research House", [Ames, Iowa], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IA-01-CE018.7.

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,