Called Ouroboros after a mythical dragon that survived by eating its tail and regenerating itself, the house began as a design project under architecture professor, Dennis Holloway. A total of 160 students contributed designs and labor toward making the house a reality. An evolving laboratory for energy conservation and self-sufficiency, Ouroboroa already has such novel features as a sod roof, active solar hot water heaters for space heat, an wind powered electric generator, a composting toilet, and an enclosed sewage system for recyling water and wastes. The shape and orientation of the house are adapted closely to the Minnesota climate, with its cold, blustery winters. At its base, Ouroboros is a trapezoid with its longest side facing south.
Earth is piled against the north, east, and west walls.
The sod roof slopes backward almost to the level of the ground, protecting the house against fierce north and west winds. The walls and roof have at least nine inches of fiberglass insulation throughout. In winter, snow drifts collect on the roof and around these walls to provide extra insulation where it is needed. The entire south side of the 1500 square foot house is devoted to collecting solar energy. Vertical south windows and a greenhouse, both double-glazed, occupy the lower part.