Latest News   2003 News

January 7, 2003

PATH Sponsors "Breakfast of Innovators" at NextGen Demonstration Home

Director of HUD's Affordable Housing Technology Division to Speak at Press Event for Energy Efficient Home

The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), a co-sponsor of the NextGen Demonstration Home in Las Vegas, Nevada, has announced a schedule of PATH events at the Home. Currently being constructed in the parking lot of the Stardust Hotel and Casino, the 3,100 square-foot residence will showcase the latest building science for energy efficiency and connectivity, and will be open to the housing industry, the press, and the public concurrently with the International Builders Show, January 20-24, 2003.

Sneak Preview Press Event
Dave Engel, director of HUD's Affordable Housing Research and Technology Division, will speak at a sneak preview press event at the NextGen Home scheduled on Monday, January 20, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Engel is expected to address the availability of promising new housing technologies, resources to help homebuilders integrate these technologies, and the need for a spirit of innovation in the homebuilding industry.

The PATH Breakfast of Innovators
PATH will host a Breakfast of Innovators for the media and industry professionals at the NextGen Home from 7:30 to 9:15 a.m. on January 23, 2003, to highlight the many PATH-profiled technologies incorporated into the home. These innovations range from structured wiring, new generation OSB subflooring, and radiant barriers to housewrap, structural insulated panels, HVAC "smart" zoning controls, and solar panels. Visitors can use a kiosk system, audio guides and a PATH map to learn about the advanced technologies showcased in the home.

[To reserve a spot at the PATH Breakfast of Innovators, please RSVP to: info@pathnet.org]

[For a complete list of PATH-profiled technologies at NextGen, click here]

PATH-Insulspan Presentation on SIPs
PATH will participate with Insulspan, another NextGen sponsor, in "Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs): An Evolution in Building." The session will explore the benefits of SIPs over conventional framing, and will include a PATH technology overview and an Insulspan product demonstration. Scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22 at the NextGen Home, the presentation will feature Frank Baker, CEO of Insulspan and Riverbend Timber Framing, with Dana Bres of HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research. The session is free and open to the public.

PATH and NextGen: Compatibility in Innovation
PATH, a public-private partnership that works to improve America's housing by speeding the creation and use of advanced technologies, is sponsoring the NextGen Home project for its compatibility with key PATH goals. The NextGen Home incorporates cutting-edge technologies that save builders time and money, while offering the homebuyer a wide range of benefits, from durability, energy efficiency, and low maintenance to twenty-first century connectivity. The structural design minimizes energy demand, and advanced controls and monitors optimize energy use, which makes the NextGen Home a model for energy efficiency.

"Commercially-developed demonstration homes that showcase advanced technologies are usually too experimental or too expensive for the average American," notes Carlos Martin of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which administers PATH. "This NextGen project is an exception. Its focus on putting these technologies into a home that is affordable for a much wider slice of the American public makes it an ideal outreach venue for PATH. The convergence of affordability with technology is a message the housing industry needs to hear."

Technologies profiled by PATH are selected for their strengths in one or more of the following areas: quality and durability; energy efficiency; environmental performance; safety and disaster mitigation; and affordability.

PATH Partnerships at NextGen
PATH is partnering with Nevada Power Company, a title sponsor of the NextGen Home and a driver of area conservation programs, in its local outreach efforts. The utility will launch an aggressive, multi-million dollar initiative in 2003 designed to assist residential customers in managing their energy usage in southern Nevada homes, including the promotion of ENERGY STAR appliances.

PATH's sponsorship of the NextGen Home is made possible with support from Leviton, Inc. and Reemay, Inc. The Home will feature the Leviton Integrated Network, which uses low voltage connectivity to integrate home systems, as well as Reemay's new Typar housewrap, which reduces more than 95% of airflow in the wall cavity.

The NextGen Demonstration Home is a project of iShow, an Internet broadcasting firm serving the residential construction industry.

About PATH
PATH ( www.pathnet.org) is a public-private partnership of leading-edge homebuilders, manufacturers, researchers, professional groups, and Federal agencies concerned with housing. By working together, PATH partners improve the quality and affordability of today's new and existing homes, strengthen the technology infrastructure of the United States, and help create the next generation of American housing.

About iShow:
iShow ( www.ishow.com), based in Bellevue, Wash., develops complete live and on-demand Internet broadcasts for the residential construction and remodeling industries and other verticals. The company also creates demonstration home projects to offer its clients an opportunity to showcase their technologies in a real living environment.

Content updated on 3/8/2005