What is the Ice Box Challenge? What are tiny Homes of Hope?
The Challenge is an international building science demonstration project to highlight energy-efficient building practices, open pathways to trade-careers for local youth, and offer one solution for urgent housing needs.
As part of a global initiative, Santa Fe joins a list of cities worldwide that have hosted this innovative event, which It brings together a coalition of housing, educational, and community care organizations.
The Ice Box Challenge features three tiny homes constructed and exhibited by youth with coaching by local trade professionals. Each tiny home will be constructed to different building efficiency standards – from ultra-efficient passive house standards to a 2021 modern code, and a 1950s era construction standard.
All three homes will be displayed near the New Mexico State Capital building and loaded with approximately one ton of ice for the demonstration. Exposed to the summer sun, the amount of ice left in each house after the exhibition will demonstrate how different construction methods drastically impact energy consumption and how changes to building codes contribute to climate solutions.
Once completed, the houses will be moved from their building site to the Esperanza Shelter grounds. These tiny Homes of Hope will provide additional transitional housing for our clients. Your donations will provide the funds to cover the moving costs, materials and services that will make these showcase homes part of the shelter.
The building process with students begins in the spring. The Ice Box Challenge will engage a variety of Northern New Mexico communities and will receive ongoing local media coverage. The shelter will continue to underscore the urgent need for additional emergency safe housing.
To support Esperanza’s transitional housing Initiative, please donate.
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Playing it cool: Northern New Mexico IceBox Challenge measures future of homebuilding
From The Santa Fe New Mexican. Small homes that were built to exacting construction standards and then brought to the parking lot are part of the first Northern New Mexico IceBox Challenge, a project meant to underscore the value of insulation and how it affects utility bills while also challenging students studying construction.
New Mexico Invited to Witness the Future of Housing at the Ice Box Challenge Kick-Off Event – August 8, 2025
On Friday, August 8, 2025, the public, elected officials, and media are invited to the PERA Building parking lot (1120 Paseo De Peralta) near the New Mexico State Capitol Building for the highly anticipated kick-off event of the Northern New Mexico Ice Box Challenge — an interactive building science demonstration that merges climate solutions, youth workforce training, and community care.
Helping young people break the ice on homebuilding
Santa Fe New Mexican A lumber drop is an exciting day on a job site. It signals the start of vertical construction. Three happened last week for Santa Fe teams taking on the Icebox Challenge. The Icebox Challenge is an international endeavor to showcase the superiority of advanced building science techniques in residential construction. Santa Fe, being the City Different, is taking the challenge to a whole new level.