San Jose students learn as they build a house

Sunset, May, 1985

Hands-on experience can be a most practical learning tool, as 47 high school students in San Jose, California, learned over a 14-month period.

Under careful supervision, they built a 1,190-square-foot passive solar house, giving them the chance to deal with all phases of construction: foundation work, framing, electrical wiring, plumbing, sheet-metal work, insulating, gypsum-board installation, masonry, roofing, cabinetry, even landscaping.

It took a great deal of planning, cooperation, and community involvement to make this learning opportunity happen, and it started with the San Jose Rotary Club. The civic-minded organization established a program called the Rotary Youth Solar Home, rallying city and county educators, organized labor, building-related businesses, and the architectural firm of Prodis Associates.

The student builders cam efrom Central County Occupational Center (CCOC), an area vocational school serving six high school districts. CCOC principal Joe Gensiracusa felt that first-hand experience would give students realistic exposure to different building jobs, enabling them to make a more informed choice among the trades after graduation.

The project drew many willing participants. Citation Builders sold a corner lot in a planned development area at the builder's cost. The Santa Clara Building Trades Council not only endorsed the project, but provided apprentice program assistance in the fields of plastering, gypsum-board taping, and bricklaying. Energy consultants donated their services, and plumbing, lumber, and electric companies pitched in with building materials. Predictably, construction took longer than with professional builders. "We took our time to teach the kids how to do it right," says Carl Hefner, supervising instructor from CCOC. He and other teachers patiently checked, praised, or corrected each phase. Building inspectors then double-checked and approved the work.

Standing on a shallow lot selected for its sourthern orientation, the finished house works well. Its solar-smart design includes a tiled floor to store heat from the sun, a south-facing greenhouse window, and a brick-faced trombe wall to collect heat from sun through clerestory windows. Architect Pierre Prodis felt the students would be more enthusiastic about building a passive solar house than an ordinary one, but he dsigned it to conform with the neighboring nonsolar dwellings.

The program is intended to be self-perpetuating; money raised by the sale of the house will go to buy land and services for the next project.