Wired Home by Livinghomes
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.25.07
When asked about a popular restaurant once, Yogi Berra said "nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded." It is like that with design and of innovation; it starts with the early adopters for whom money is no object, they want the best and they want it now. Many of them get their first glimpse of the latest and coolest in Wired Magazine. Right now modern green prefab is wired and is still at early adopter pricing and over-the top finishes; the new Wired Home being built by Steve Glenn's livinghomes is a catalog of the best green eye candy that money can buy.
We will all be able to visit Yogi's restaurant and afford modern green prefab as it moves mainstream; everything that the early adopters go for eventually does, between when it is tired and expired. In the meantime we can press our noses to the glass....
Summarized by Jetson Green:
Located in an exclusive, modernist home community of Los Angeles called Crestwood Hills, the large 4,057 sf WIRED LivingHome is set to be finished by Fall 2007. In anticipation of the final product, LivingHomes CEO and Founder Steve Glenn remarked, "We are honored to be working with WIRED on the next LivingHome...WIRED covers the future and the future of building is green. Their reputation for cutting-edge design and great editorial technology and innovation make them the perfect partner to demonstrate the balance of form, function and sustainability."
Green Features:
The old structure on the lot is being deconstructed, rather than demolished, and a minimum of 75% of all materials will be reused and repurposed. While deconstruction is ongoing, the Ray Kappe-designed home will be manufactured in the factory, with installation to occur in August 2007. Here are some of the green products that will be part of the WIRED LivingHome: 4-kw SunPower solar power system; forced hot air radiant heating and cooling system; recycled glass countertops; Heath ceramic tile in the master bathroom; low-maintenance high-design ecological kitchen cabinetry by Valcucine; environmentally friendly washer/dryer system by Bosch; water-efficient fixtures by Toto; windows and doors constructed with recycled glass and aluminum by Fleetwood USA; reclaimed redwood by Pacific Heritage Wood; FSC-certified exterior siding; LED lighting (uses less energy than conventional lighting); tankless water heaters; and carbon offsets to cover the home's first year of use. In the end, the WIRED LivingHome will be about 36% more efficient than a conventional residence of the same size. ::Wired Home
How green can a 4057 square foot home be unless its made for 20 people?
If this house is so efficient, then why isn't it made for folks who have no financial choice, but to live efficiently?
It's no surprise to me that this article doesn't include how many bedrooms this "highly efficient" house has. My guess? It only has one.
Or you could just buy a 36% smaller home... or retrofit one that's already been built...Surely there are more socially and environmentally responsible ways to spend that 4m? It's great to see that the house is green, but I feel we should be concerned with mass greening and affordable sustainable energy solutions rather than meant to alleviate the eco-guilt of the wealthy.
Check out this video of the WIRED Living Home.
http://www.viropop.com/zaproot/episode/ZPRextras_20071203
Damien Somerset
Producer - ZapRoot