You might have heard about or even had to deal with ice dams, those frozen build-ups around the eaves of a home that can damage roofing and siding during winter (see illustration). In Detroit, two artists are taking the concept of the ice dam to the extreme, and perhaps that's appropriate in a city known as Hockeytown, USA.

Architectural photographer Gregory Holm and architect Matthew Radune plan to encase one of Detroit's thousands of abandoned homes in ice this winter, according to this Associated Press report. Through their Ice House Detroit project, Radune and Holm want to draw attention to the staggering number of foreclosures in the city.

(Michigan saw the eighth most foreclosure activity in the third quarter of 2009, says RealtyTrac. And according to the latest Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, the August 2009 price index in Detroit is at 71.59,which is the lowest of the 20 cities tracked and 22.6 percent lower than it was a year earlier.)

Holm and Radune plan to spray the house with water until it is gradually covered with ice. Come spring, after the ice has melted, the house will be demolished after crews salvage building materials.

Is this a cool concept or a cold-hearted gesture exploiting a recession-ravaged city? Leave a comment below.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Learn more about ice dams and how to prevent and deal with them. And check out our reports on roofing and siding.

Illustration courtesy of National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office.