Mayor Jackie Biskupski, City Council Member Andrew Johnston, and Salt Lake City housing officials will cut the ribbon on Thursday, July 21st at the Emery Passive House – a model of efficient, innovative, and affordable family housing in Salt Lake City’s Poplar Grove neighborhood.

“This is a home anyone would be proud to own,” Mayor Biskupski said. “It’s exciting to see the results when we make quality design and construction part of the affordable housing equation.”

The event will launch the new Housing Innovation Lab, a project of Salt Lake City’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Division (HAND). This community-based effort is built on the premise that homes can be well-built with popular design features while still being affordable. The lab will advance innovation in affordable housing design, quality construction, and finance through education, collaboration, and experimentation.

The Housing Innovation Lab is part of the city’s overall housing strategy – which recognizes safe, stable, and affordable homes as essential to residents’ well-being, neighborhood stability, and economic development.

The 2,100-square-foot Emery Passive House features cutting-edge design and construction, with four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a two-car garage, a fully fenced yard, and a contemporary exterior. The house will operate on one-sixth the energy required to heat a standard home.

“The Emery Design House highlights construction methods and systems that can greatly reduce the ongoing cost of homeownership and contribute to housing stability. We hope this will encourage the home building industry to incorporate these elements in future developments,” said Mike Akerlow, Director of Salt Lake City’s HAND.

Mayor Biskupski will also announce the start of the Salt Lake City Home Innovation Competition, which will emphasize innovation in design and construction of affordable housing through a public contest. Salt Lake City will choose two teams to design and build single-family homes on city-owned property. Design and build teams must submit their proposals by September 23rd.

For Home Innovation Competition guidelines and further information, please visit:
www.slcgov.com/hand

What: Ribbon cutting and introduction of the Emery Passive House

Who: Mayor Jackie Biskupski, City Council Member Andrew Johnston, and Salt Lake City housing officials

Where: 381 South Emery Street (1170 West), Salt Lake City

When: 9 a.m.

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