WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- As the building industry's long-time charity of choice, HomeAid and its builder partners have provided more than 150 transitional homeless housing facilities around the country, while educating the public about the issue of temporary homelessness. In 2007, HomeAid expanded its efforts in housing development by embracing sustainable building practices on projects in New Orleans and Colorado. On Saturday, October 13, HomeAid will unveil a sustainable version of its signature Project Playhouse designs, which traditionally have been auctioned to raise money for building housing for the homeless, in the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
The National Building Museum will feature a special "green" playhouse built by California-based Pardee Homes(r), which will feature sustainable elements such as fluorescent lights, siding of recycled and recyclable material, engineered wood, insulation made of recycled denim, and a rooftop photovoltaic panel. A Plexiglas-covered wall on the interior of the playhouse calls out the "green" features, and explains their benefits. Called the "truth wall," it also shows how a house is framed and insulated, in addition to other inner workings of new home construction.
"Project Playhouse has raised millions of dollars over the past 15 years while helping to educate the public about the issue of temporary homelessness in this country," said Genette Eaton, chief executive officer of HomeAid. "In the past two years, we have worked with our builder partners to incorporate sustainable building practices into our housing development program, and so we saw this opportunity with the National Building Museum as a way to help deliver both of these important messages to the public simultaneously."
Project Playhouse features exquisitely designed playhouses with unique themes chosen by the individual builders in each local market. The 10' x 10' x 8' miniature homes feature the same craftsmanship and quality as the real homes built by the same homebuilders, and often feature working electricity, running water, and high-end materials such as granite and mahogany. Fully furnished, many of the playhouses in recent years have even included plasma television screens. Weighing approximately 5,000 pounds, each playhouse is built to accommodate the wear and tear of children's play. In previous years, the playhouses have auctioned for as much as $75,000 each.
"We are delighted to have the opportunity to feature one of our playhouses in the National Building Museum," said Mike McGee, president and CEO of Pardee Homes. "We have been involved in this event locally since it began 15 years ago, and we are extremely proud to be participating in the national program this year."
As part of HomeAid's 2007 National Project Playhouse program, eight HomeAid chapters will host Project Playhouse events this year. In addition to the "green" playhouse at the National Building Museum, HomeAid, Pardee Homes and American Girl(r) worked together to build and donate three playhouses based on the popular American Girl doll Nicki Fleming, that characterizes the spirit of volunteerism. One of the playhouses will be raffled and the other auctioned to the highest bidder at fundraising events taking place this month in Chicago and Los Angeles, respectively. The third playhouse was donated last month to the WestHELP Greenburgh housing facility for homeless women and their preschool-aged children in White Plains, New York following a featured appearance on the CBS' "The Early Show."
About HomeAid
HomeAid is the nation's largest nonprofit builder of housing for the temporarily homeless. Founded in 1989, the organization has built housing for more than 80,000 men, women and children. Established by the Building Industry Association of Southern California, an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders, HomeAid has completed 145 housing projects nationwide with more than 60 projects currently in development. HomeAid includes a network of 21 chapters in 15 states and four offices in Augusta, GA, Washington, D.C.; Newport Beach, CA; and New Orleans, LA (for hurricane-rebuilding efforts). For more information about HomeAid, call 1-888-3HOMEAID or visit www.homeaid.org.
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About Pardee Homes
Pardee Homes is an award winning multi-regional builder and developer of master-planned communities, new homes, apartments and business parks in California and Nevada. Originating in 1921 as Pardee Construction Company, the company in 1969 became the largest wholly owned subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company (WRECO), a division of Weyerhaeuser. Pardee Homes is an industry leader in sustainable building practices, garnering many prestigious sustainable awards, and the company's emphasis on community commitment is reflected by such honors as the Hearthstone BUILDER Humanitarian Award, the home building industry's most prestigious philanthropic awards program. Visit www.pardeehomes.com.
About the National Building Museum
Chartered by Congress in 1980, the Museum is America's leading cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and planning. The Museum has become a vital forum for exchanging ideas and information about the built environment through its exhibitions, education programs, and publications. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Museum Shop. Cafe. Public inquiries: 202-272-2448 or visit www.nbm.org.