The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Policy Development and Research is providing a $400,000 grant to West Virgnia University (WVU) to support research into housing construction methods.
WVU will collaborate with Omnis Building Technologies LLC to develop building panels made of geopolymer concrete and foam cores reinforced with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) grids. These panels, which are designed to reduce CO2 emissions and enhance thermal performance, will be used to construct a 1,600-square-foot building on WVU’s campus.
HUD added the project is designed to improve construction efficiency, ease of assembly, and sustainability, with the goal of encouraging the development of greener building technologies.
“We are thrilled to continue expanding the evidence base for the use of bold new technologies that can help solve our housing crisis,” said Solomon Greene, principal deputy assistant secretary for policy development and research. “We know that in addition to building more affordably, we also need to increase resiliency and energy efficiency, and WVU’s demonstration will help us learn how to build greener homes for all Americans.”
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