The University of Kentucky's Houseboat to Energy Efficient Residences (HBEER) project a partnership between the UK College of Design, the Center for Applied Energy Research at UK, the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation (KHIC) and the Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC).

The multi-year project was initiated in the fall of 2009 and directly responds to the impact the current economic downturn has had on Kentucky's houseboat manufacturing industry. More than 50 students and faculty at the college's School of Architecture were responsible for researching and developing initial models of energy-efficient, affordable housing that could be produced by the region's houseboat manufacturers. This was a unique real-life project that sets UK architecture students head of their peers in terms of their design portfolio.

For more on the HBEER project, see the overview video.