Unity House
Unity, Maine

LEED for Homes Platinum

Project Summary
Occupancy: Residential
Building Area: 1,930 sq. ft. 
Status: Construction Completed
Owner: Unity College
Architect: Bensonwood Homes

Built to serve as the President’s House at Unity College, Unity House was designed to act not only as an example of energy efficiency but also as a teaching tool for the students on campus. Unity House aims to be net-zero energy and carbon neutral beginning with the use of super insulated walls (R-40), roof (R-67) and slab (R-20). In addition, the home makes use of a passive solar design, PV panels and a geothermal heat pump. To further eliminate heat loss an air-lock entry system is used and all plumbing and wiring is routed through insulated channels.  Extending sustainable living into the interior, living and dining room furniture was made by Green Design Furniture of Portland, Maine

One of the most unique futures of the home is the Open Build system integrated into the floor plan. The system allows for walls to be removed with ease to allow for alternative floor plans. The OPEN Prototype Initiative (OPI), a collaboration of Bensonwood Homes, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Open Source Building Alliance and other industry partners, has completed Unity House, a Net-Zero house that serves as a living example of sustainable and affordable home construction for the building industry. “OPI’s goal is to improve the way all homes are built in America by making them highly adaptable and energy-efficient, while also reducing the amount of waste generated in both the design and construction processes,” said Tedd Benson of Bensonwood Homes. As a result of the significant research and development that went into creating Unity House, Bensonwood can now mass-produce these customizable, Net-Zero homes for the broader market.

Fore Solutions acted as the LEED for Homes Provider on the Unity House.

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