Actor Brad Pitt initiated the Make it Right foundation to provide modular homes for survivors of Hurricane Katrina after it devastated the Ninth Ward in New Orleans. Now he is partnering with the Fort Peck Indian Reservation to bring 20 eco-friendly modular homes to be placed in a sustainable village on the site of the old airport in Poplar, Montana.
Built from state-of-the-art recycled materials to LEED Platinum certified standards, the first five homes should be occupied by Aug. 1 with the remainder of the homes ready by Dec. 1. Occupants are being chosen from 127 applicants by a lottery system.
Built by Method Homes, Inc. of Ferndale, Washington, the units were designed by foundation architects and by Assiniboine and Sioux tribal members, according to greatfallstribune. The homes are 75 percent more energy efficient than a site-built home, and utility bills are expected to be under $60 a month in the winter.
Brian Abramson of Method, which is trucking in 18 of the homes said, “Each home has a fireplace. That’s what the community asked for. They’re super-insulated and no toxic chemicals were used in the paint, adhesives and finishes.” Two of the homes are octagon-shaped and will be built on site. The Fort Peck Tribes’ company, Integrated Solutions, is the developer of the two-year project.
MHProNews has learned the Kohler Co. supplied the plumbing supplies and Shaw Flooring did the floors. Tribal members are doing the plumbing work, and Montana Dakota Utilities is hooking up the gas and electric lines in this northeast corner of the state. ##
(Photo credit: greatfallstribune/Richard Peterson-kitchen of a modular home sited in Poplar, Montana for Fort Peck Indians.)
