Norwich University Newsroom

Norwich University has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the TD Bank Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank® to fund the design and building of additional tiny houses by students and faculty in the School of Architecture + Art and the David Crawford School of Engineering.

The grant will support the Creating Affordable Sustainable Architecture (CASA) Initiative, a program within the College of Professional Schools that focuses on research and development of affordable housing for low-income families in Vermont. The first micro-house module produced through the CASA Initiative, the 324-square-foot CASA 802 (pictured), earned the 2016 People’s Choice Award from the Vermont Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIAVT) and is now occupied by a low-income owner at the Shelburnewood Mobile Home Coop in Shelburne, Vermont.

A second iteration of a Norwich tiny house, the 288-square-foot SuCASA (Single-Unit CASA), made with nearly all locally sourced, sawn and produced materials will also be located in Shelburnewood. Additional versions of the house are now available from Fontaine Millwork & Forestry, a family-run sawmill in East Montpelier, Vt.

With this most recent grant, Norwich University is partnering with Down Street Design and the Mad River Valley Planning District to provide affordable housing at the Verdmont Mobile Home Park in Waitsfield, VT. With the building’s particularly tight envelope and an approximate annual electricity cost of $564, the tiny house directly aligns with Vermont’s 2015 Comprehensive Energy Plan goals to reduce total energy consumption per capita by 15% by 2025 and by more than one third by 2050.

“In the true Norwich traditions of experiential learning and service to others, we are offering students credit to research, develop and produce a house that offers a solution to the housing crisis in Vermont, and this generous gift from TD Bank Charitable Foundation is helping to make that possible,” said Aron Temkin, an architect, professor and dean of the College of Professional Schools at Norwich University.

“For over 20 years, design/build has been part of the College of Professional Schools’ curriculum,” School of Architecture + Art Director Cara Armstrong said.

Norwich students have been addressing Vermont community needs through the construction of full-scale projects such as a day-camp classroom and community building in Randolph; outdoor classrooms in Northfield and Twinfield; a passive solar addition to a local library in Roxbury; a mobile, solar-powered laboratory that travels throughout Vermont and New England; and the Delta T-90, its award winning entry into the 2013 U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon.

The CASA project’s primary objective is to develop a regionally derived, affordable housing model that will serve Vermont end-users.

“We ultimately aim to develop a modular system of tiny houses, units that can stand alone or be combined to create larger, cohesive structures depending on the needs of the occupant,” said Armstrong. “We have committed to continuing our work with students and faculty across disciplines to design and build adaptable and sustainable housing to be affordable by a family living at 80 percent of Vermont’s median income level and below.”

“TD is committed to driving positive change through working collaborations that enrich the lives of our diverse communities across Vermont,” said Phil Daniels, Market President, TD Bank. “We are honored to be a part of this effort, created by Norwich University, to help provide affordable housing for low-to-moderate income families and individuals in Vermont.”

About the TD Charitable Foundation

The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed more than $193.8 million and 19,000 grants in charitable donations from Maine to Florida. The Foundation’s mission aligns with The Ready Commitment, a new multi-year program that TD launched in March 2018 to help individuals and communities prosper. As part of The Ready Commitment, TD targets CDN $1 billion (US $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for an inclusive tomorrow – Financial Security, a more Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through The Ready Commitment, TD’s aspiration is to link business, products, services, and community giving to help people feel more confident – not just about their finances, but about their future and their ability to achieve their personal goals in a changing world. For further information, visit TD.com/thereadycommitment.  More information on the TD Charitable Foundation, including the online grant application, is available at TDBank.com.

About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®

TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit TDBank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at twitter.com/TDBank_US.

TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit TD.com.