In 1933 the Tennessee Valley Authority constructed a model community, Norris, Tennessee, as part of the Norris Dam construction project. A key feature of this New Deal village was the Norris House, a series of homes built as models for modern and efficient living. In light of the 75th anniversary of the Norris Project, an interdisciplinary team of UT students and faculty reinterpreted the Norris paradigm and created a New Norris House- a sustainable home designed for the 21st century.

As with the original Norris designs, the New Norris House uses state of the art technologies and techniques. The house incorporates green materials, leverages energy conscious design strategies, and utilizes off-site construction methods. Yet the challenge goes beyond the creation of a model home design. The house design responds and is reforming community and legal constraints that currently deter sustainable home construction. To accomplish this, the project team consulted with community residents, researched local codes and worked with local and state government. The project also addresses affordability and “fit” in light of median home prices and the town’s status on the National Register Historic District. The New Norris House is registered with the US Green Building Council as part of its LEED for Homes program, and projects achievement of a LEED for Homes platinum rating. If successful, it will be the 1st Platinum project built by the University of Tennessee.

This will be available for web viewing soon. In the meantime, it is downloadable below.
Download project documentation (7 pages; 1,280 PDF)