Students who will live in The Home Depot SmartHome will get to enjoy more advanced technologies than microwaves and mini-refrigerators in their rooms.

The Home Depot will provide approximately two-million-dollars worth of cash and supplies during the next three years to support the construction of the 6,000-sq.-ft. facility located off Swift Avenue on Central Campus, officials announced Tuesday.

The building-previously known as the Delta Smart House-is slated for completion next fall, said sophomore Mark Gu, student president for The Home Depot SmartHome.

According to a press release, "The facility will be a combination residence hall, undergraduate research laboratory and engineering outreach project that will house 10 upper-class engineering students each year."

"I can't think of a more advanced dorm in the nation," Gu said.

The SmartHome-which is part of the larger Duke Smarthouse Program-will incorporate technologies developed by Duke students to create a residential space that combines energy efficiency, environmental sustainability and entertainment, said Kristina Johnson, dean of the Pratt School of Engineering.

More than 60 students and eight chartered teams are currently working on technological projects as a part of the Duke Smarthouse Program, Gu said.

The program began as the senior project of Mark Younger, Pratt '03.

Gu cited the WISDOM doorway as an example of an innovative student project. According to the website, it is "a system to track the location of people and objects within the house using a sensor network."

Other projects range from recycling compression to a roof with a retractable skylight, according to The Home Depot SmartHome website.

Students who will eventually live in the SmartHome will continue to work on and perfect already-existing projects.

"It's a place where students can live and evolve technologies to be more practical," Johnson said.

The amount of direct student involvement in the SmartHome makes the project different from similar programs at other universities.

"This project is unique because it is the first smarthome concept where students will live in the house on a daily basis, which will provide a unique test for products and ideas," Karen Haggerty, senior public relations manager for The Home Depot, said in an e-mail.

The SmartHome is special because of its interdisciplinary quality, Gu said, adding that students interested in business, environmental issues and public policy are working with engineering students.

Johnson said students from the Duke School of Medicine will potentially contribute to the SmartHome in the future through health-technology projects such as telemedicine.