Wednesday

Smart Home: Green + Wired



There's a new building at the Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park. No, it's not part of the renovations that preceded the institution's 75th year-- it's Chicago's greenest home, built in the MSI's courtyard. Designed by Michelle Kaufman Designs and built by All American Homes, "Smart Home: Green + Wired" is a functioning house and garage on display until January 2009. Kaufmann and AAH focused on five areas of sustainability for the home's design and construction:

Smart Design: a network control system allows people to see the energy the smart home is both saving and creating through networked heat controls, window coverings, lighting, and security sensors. The system's electricity, gas, and water consumption can be tracked in real time on the internet. Radiant-heated floors run through the entire home.

Material efficiency: The prefabricated home was built in modules and shipped to the MSI. All of its materials are renewable or recycled, such as bamboo flooring, FSC-certified wall, recycled glass tiles, and efficient triple-pane nanawall recycled glass windows and doors.

Energy efficiency: The building saves energy through its green roof keeping the place naturally cool in the summer, its rain barrels collect runoff and save water, and photovoltaic panels generate so much of the home's electricity that it sometimes runs a surplus. All of its meters and appliances are Energy Star rated.

Water: Dual-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads keep the home's water consumption down and the home's grey water system recycles non-potable water (mostly rinse water from the shower and clothes washer) as flushing the toilets

Environmental quality: No, or low, VOC paints, air filtration and purification systems and spray-in isonene foam insulation help the Smart Home minimize mold and surpass the American Lung Association's criteria for healthy homes. Permeable paving and water-recycling systems improve the environments for the native plants on the grounds.

Michelle Kaufmann Designs said it's difficult to put a price on it, though, since most of the sustainable materials in the house were donated by manufacturers. Michael Donley, marketing manager for All American Homes, said the project required 10 weeks of production in their Decatur, Ind., factory as opposed to 5-10 days for a typical prefabricated home. AAH will be introducing a "solar village" line of homes in June using some of the same materials.

"We already used some of the same materials in our homes and this was the next logical step," he said.

Want to check out the new Smart Home exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry? You can find more information on MSI's website.

Mrs. Green-Genes Tip: While at the exhibit, pay special attention to the Smart Home's native and sustainable landscape gardens. Explore the possibilities of your own sustainable vegetable garden, rain garden and other vegetation--how they can be used for food, indoor climate control and weather recycling and conservation. The roof is covered by a green-roof garden, which not only acts as a source of cooling in the summer and insulation in the winter, but also absorbs precipitation, reducing storm water runoff which can be reused for landscape irrigation. In the exhibit, you'll discover the process of building a garden, along with its many environmental benefits. What a great summer family project! Via* A Fresh Squeeze

cradle-to-cradle ::.

CRADLE-TO-CRADLE
A phrase invented by Walter R. Stahel in the 1970s and popularized by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their 2002 book of the same name. This framework seeks to create production techniques that are not just efficient but are essentially waste free. In cradle-to-cradle production all material inputs and outputs are seen either as technical or biological nutrients. Technical nutrients can be recycled or reused with no loss of quality and biological nutrients composted or consumed. By contrast cradle to grave refers to a company taking responsibility for the disposal of goods it has produced, but not necessarily putting products’ constituent components back into service.


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