Green by Design: The Pod Home at COSI

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The Ohio State University Pod Home will officially become part of the Center of Science and Industry’s Big Science Park in a public dedication event starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24. The Home’s arrival marks the beginning of a series of energy and environment exhibits for children, which aims to teach children how science can produce sustainable energy.

The Pod Home is a sustainable, energy-efficient 125-square-foot home built for one to two people. It was designed as a flexible living “pod” that could be transported to various sites for a range of needs. The Home was made to be small, inexpensive and produced out of readily available local materials. A project team of architecture and engineering students and faculty raised the funds to build the Pod and constructed it on the Ohio State campus.

“The Pod Home was designed and constructed through an interdisciplinary collaboration between Ohio State faculty and students in architecture and engineering,” says Lisa Tilder, the Pod Home team leader and associate professor of architecture at Ohio State. “Our team worked closely with COSI to develop this unique educational exhibit that will introduce visitors to the positive ways design and engineering can shape our environment.”

The Pod’s arrival to COSI marks the culmination of a three-year effort by architecture and engineering students, faculty and staff as well as local residents who volunteered during the construction of the house. The Pod represents collaboration between the Knowlton School of Architecture, the College of Engineering and the local community.

"The Pod Home is a great example of the research opportunities available in architecture and engineering at Ohio State," says Michael Factor, an architecture and construction systems management major.

Designed for a young adult, the Pod Home includes a loft, small kitchen and bathroom. The Home’s interior incorporates “green” materials including sustainably harvested plywood and recycled glass tile made within 500 miles of Columbus. The Pod Home floor features a custom-designed passive solar system that uses phase change material for temperature control, which stores and releases solar energy, diminishing the need for heating and cooling.

The Pod Home’s unique building form was developed to optimize the use of passive solar energy, and the slope of its roof maximizes the collection of solar energy through photovoltaic panels and a solar energy collector that provides electric power to the Home. The Pod is constructed of Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) that insulate the Pod Home, keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer. Other technologies include solar hot-water heating, an advanced temperature regulation system and a gray-water recycling system.

"The Pod House is a perfect example of many things that are important to COSI and how we are carrying out our strategic plan,” says Kimberlee L. Kiehl, Ph.D., COSI senior vice president and chief strategy and operations officer. “It resulted from a partnership with The Ohio State University, it explores the very relevant topic of energy use, and it is a real object that visitors to COSI can explore and learn from."

Category: College