Michelle Kaufmann Prefab On Exhibit In Chicago
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.08
photo courtesy of Brian Jones
Guest reviewer Brian W. Jones is a designer, photographer, and cultural observer who recently "relocated to Chicago just in time for the longest winter of his life." More on Brian in TreeHugger here.
A few weeks ago, the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit opened at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The exhibit is a pre-fab modular home, designed by Michelle Kaufmann Designs (MKD), and its surrounding landscape, designed by Jacobs/Ryan Associates. The Smart Home has been outfitted with some of the most sustainable and responsible options available for building and furnishing a house, while the landscaping illustrates many ways to sustain and replenish the surrounding environments we live in. It’s really spectacular to see the museum’s courtyard transformed in this way.
all other photos John Swain courtesy of Michelle Kaufmann
The design, construction and day-to-day operation of the Smart Home rest upon five principles: smart design, material efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency, and healthy environment. There is such a long list of features, materials and gadgets that I can’t list them all. There is a really nice resource guide that you can download (PDF here) that goes into much more detail. Some of my favorites were the LED lighting used throughout the home, motion sensors, radiant floor heating, solar film on the roof (that produced a surplus of energy) and a generator hooked up to a bicycle in the kids room that needed to be ridden 30 minutes in order to power 20 minutes of TV watching.
When I arrived at my scheduled time, I was placed in a group of 15 people and led on a guided tour through the home. During the tour, our guide asked questions testing our knowledge about specific terms and why we thought certain things were designed as they were. Our guide was as entertaining as the exhibit was educational. However, as beautiful as the home was and as excited as I was to finally experience a pre-fab home outside the pages of Dwell magazine, the most enlightening aspect of the tour came from being placed in a group of “average people” as they interacted with a sustainable home.
As a treehugger, there are a lot of things that I presumptuously assume is common knowledge about green living. I thought with all of the “green products” being marketed and “green knowledge” being thrown around (in what seems like every periodical and news article being written) there would be some level of absorption. The problem is, there isn’t really much knowledge being shared. The greenwashers don’t want us to learn what’s green and what isn’t or they’ll be revealed for what they truly are.
In our group of 15 people—most ranged from 35–55 years old—I was the only one who new what VOCs stood for and what they were. Ok, maybe that’s not something I should expect everyone to know, I’ll let that slide. But next we were asked what we thought the blanket on the bed was made from, and after everyone felt it, organic cotton was the primary guess. When our guide revealed that it was bamboo, half of the faces in the room lit up at learning bamboo could not only be used for hardwood flooring and cabinets, but also woven into a soft blanket.
As I watched the room share in this eureka moment I understood the real reason for the Smart Home exhibit. This wasn’t built for treehuggers like myself to geek-out about the recycled glass bathroom tiles or smile at the sight of a Strida bike hanging in the garage (although it did serve those purposes well). The Smart Home was built to enlighten all of those “average people” who have become the new target in a growing assault of “green” marketing and to educating them in the many ways that they can improve their lives while lowering their impact on our planet.
Let’s hope it reaches as many people as possible. ::Museum of Science and Industry
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OK, again with a nice, pre-fab architecture.. but really, how much does it cost to build, who IS building these (list of suppliers/contractors/builders) and realistic implementation.
I would love to have this house, but, just like a concept car..it's probably a one-of-a kind showpiece that will never be offered to the real public... or at least not below a $10mil asking price. I understand it is a museam educational tool, but let's build the educational tool that people can really build tomorrow, then we can all get excited about it as it will reach the masses a lot quicker.
Cheers,
Tom-tom
Interestingly, in the paragraph below where you mention that there isn't much knowledge being shared, you mention people not knowing what VOCs are and fail to explain it yourself.
I love this house. I hope these techniques and materials are easy to get when I get to have my own home.
@Tom-Tom
This is far from a "concept car" home. If you download the PDF resource guide, mentioned in the second paragraph, you will find a list of all the materials used and the contact information for the companies who make them.
There is also an in-depth review of the construction process.
The home was...
Designed by Michelle Kaufmann Designs
Constructed by All American Homes
Site work and final construction by Norcon, Inc.
Home automation System installed by 3G Applied Technologies
Interior furnishings by Verde Design Studio
@GL
You're right, I should have elaborated on what Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are, or linked to the Treehugger Green Basics page that defines the term in detail.
You can find it by searching VOCs at the top of the site.
brian,
thanks for the write-up. i had just recently read about this project and was wondering what the status was. i myself did not know that bamboo could be made to fabric. from a design standpoint i love it, but and perplexed by the exterior stair on the side seeing as how it is a single family home.
No doubt the house has great innovation and technology but I am sorry to say I cannot buy the complex exterior design. Especially the outside the house stairs.
Today we must remember that the population is ageing and stairs are a no no. I should know I am one of them.Surely it is possible to have all that technology in an eye pleasing design.I was always taught the simpler the design the more pleasing to the eye.
ngamoko
I think those exterior stairs had more to do with a building or fire code since this is an exhibit in a museum.
After being led through the house on our tour, other tours had already begun behind us, so we all left from the top floor down those stairs.
Personally, I loved this home. The use of space, lighting during the day, accessibility and layout were all really well done. The exterior also fit my tastes.
The only downside to this is the cost.
http://www.mkd-arc.com/homes/mksolaire/floorplans_s1.php
The Mkd-arc website only has estimates based on Bay Area prices but looking at the base price of the prefab sections before transportation, this is not a viable option for someone like me who lives in the land of cheap homes/land: the Midwest.