Just Housing Goes Back to School
Carpentry students at Wrenshall High School are once again making strides on their first high performance shed, and will soon embark on building their second one. At the end of the last spring semester – the class’s first semester working on the shed - Just Housing engaged in a feedback session with shop teacher Chris Gustafson. Chris’s feedback was clear: the Green Design Build Capstone project was invaluable both for him and his students, so much so that he wanted his students to build a second shed. We worked with Chris over the summer to simplify some of the building details, brainstorm new teaching methods, and coordinate in-classroom, hands-on project support so Chris and his students could hit the ground running this fall.
Chris and his students are doing just that. Since school started, students have installed mineral wool cavity insulation and started installing finish materials, while learning to coordinate their finish work in anticipation of the electrical work still remaining. Soon, electrician John Goeke will install light fixtures, a small through-the-wall heat recovery ventilator, and a PV system. John will engage with students as he proceeds with his work. As they continue with the completion of this first shed, a second group of students will soon begin framing the second shed – so stay tuned for more updates.
We commend Chris for his commitment to his students and his enthusiasm for this project. We are also grateful to Randy Williams, who will help provide hands-on building support this semester. This project was originally made possible with funding from the Northeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership through UMN Extension, and we’re continuing the project now pro bono. Thank you to the following industry partners who have generously provided building material donations: Intectural, Huber Engineered Woods, the Rockwool Group, Dakota Steel, and Andersen Windows.
