Factor 10 House

The Factor 10 House is so called because it reduces the environmental impact of the average American home by a factor of 10. The entire site, on a slender lot in Chicago, is permeable—pavers and other materials were chosen to help runoff, and the green roof makes a big impact. A “solar chimney” pushes warm air down into the house (or gets rid of it in the summer) and lets natural light in. What’s really cool is a wall of reused water bottles that serves as a heat sink to help maintain warmer temperatures at night with no energy consumption to speak of. Of course, recycled or sustainable materials were chosen throughout the building, and modular construction lets the house be assembled off-site. Fly ash, a waste product from coal power production, is used to make the foundation’s concrete in a process which takes less energy than traditional concrete and releases fewer greenhouse gases. It was a winning entry to the Green Homes for Chicago Program, and the American Institute of Architects named it one of 2004’s Top Ten Green Projects. Can we move in? Please? ::Green Homes for Chicago [pdf] ::AIA [by KK]