Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry opens an economical, eco-friendly modular home exhibit that is designed for the masses

Chicago's greenest home-A 2,500 square foot, state-of-the-art stunner built in less than four months flat-will be seeing a lot of action in the next six months. That's because it expects to receive over tens of thousands of guests before it closes in January as the newest temporary exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry (MSI).

Just like other life-sized exhibits at the Museum that focus on technology, such as the coal mine or the U505 submarine, this is the real thing, ensconced in a courtyard on the building's east side. It has enviable lake views; a trim, neatly tailored frame; a handsome facade clad in sumptuous but sustainable Brazilian Ipe and sleek cement board in two classy shades of gray; three inhabitable roof decks and two eye-pleasing green roofs-all of which make it as epic as any of the high-end knockouts on view in Dwell or Metropolitan Home magazines.

Yet this is a modular number designed by California architect Michelle Kaufmann, which accounts for the speedy construction process and a relatively economical price point of about $450,000 to $500,000 for the house alone (the land and furnishings must be bought and in this case the former belongs to MSI and the latter were donated). It's surrounded by gorgeous gardens that were a collaborative effort between Jacobs/Ryan Associates Landscape Architects, the University of Illinois Extension and Openlands. Like the house, the landscaping is eco-friendly.

And last but not least, it sports an intelligent, economically feasible-and above all intriguing--design job on the inside that rivals the knockout architecture, done by Michele Fitzpatrick of Verde Design Studio in Chicago.Best of all, she has used mostly locally produced pieces. "When I saw the house, I decided to involve everyone in Chicago who was working sustainably so we could showcase what's available here," she explains.

But why a whole house? With 'green' the buzzword on everyone's minds these days, and energy costs on the rise exponentially, the time couldn't be better to focus on residences that are economical thanks to their energy efficiency and sustainability. This notion inspired Anne Rashford, MSI's director of temporary exhibits, to build the house here to mark the Museum's 75th anniversary. "I had seen other museums do sections of green homes, but not the whole thing. So I thought why not? We think big here," she quips.

The novel idea became realistic when Rashford tracked down Kaufmann, who specializes in designing and manufacturing what she calls "sustainable modern modular homes." The architect got into the business after she and her husband couldn't find an affordable place of their own in the Bay area's Marin County. "We got a lot in the middle of nowhere, built a small but beautiful green home...and then all our friends said 'oh Michelle, can you do one for me just like yours?' So we started looking into mass producing it," she explains. With that, she founded an eponymous design/build firm in Oakland.

The Museum began talks with Kaufmann in the summer of 2007, and decided to build her mkSolaire, a model designed to fit on compact urban lots like the Chicago standard, which is 25' by 125'. But they added a few twists. Besides being as 'green' as possible, this version of the model would be a tad larger 'corner lot' version and also incorporate the latest and greatest electronic technologies to save time, reduce energy consumption and entertain; thus the house-to-be was christened the Smart Home. Wired magazine came on-board as the technology and automation advisor for the project.

Kaufmann started building the home in January of 2008 using a parallel construction process that allowed the contractors to excavate and pour the foundation onsite while the house was being manufactured in Indiana (she has her own factory in Seattle and four factory-partners around the country). By the beginning of March, a gigantic crane was moving approximately 15 tons of modular components from five flatbed trucks to the concrete foundation, and by April 22, the landscaping and furnishings were going in for the May 8 opening.

Now, the project is a dazzling model citizen of the residential world, its various technologies seamlessly integrated with each other, and furnishings and finishings so chic that it's hard to believe they are durable and sustainable as well as stylish. Bottom line, it proves that an eco-friendly place can be spacious, airy, comfortable, energy efficient, smart and attractive.

For starters, there's the architecture itself, with high ceilings, clean lines, open expanses and copious windows placed to capture passive solar exposures for light and heat; these features make the spaces flexible and multi-purpose. Window walls open up with folding pocket doors to bring the outside in; a slatted IPE DOOR?? over the living area's window wall can be moved into place--- to shield the room from sunlight on warm days and still allow air to circulate, or just for privacy's sake; and a detached two-car garage has folding doors on both sides of its structure that can be opened to convert the space into a covered, open-air pavilion. That garage also converts into a media room with the cars pulled out.

A full-home, PC-based automation system, called Life/ware, controls heating, cooling, lighting, window coverings, security sensors and cameras. "The big idea here is that it makes the house greener because it optimizes resources and lower energy costs," explains Bob Parks, Wired magazine's lead energy consultant on the project. "It clicks on and off lights, opens and shuts shades or skylights when detectors sense sun or breezes, adapts to different settings in different rooms....and even cues wake up tunes from a digital music server," he points out, adding that "there's even a little dashboard-like monitor in the mechanical room that tracks electricity, gas and water consumption figures. You can use those numbers to curb consumption."

And there's more. The system's shut-down mode will automatically secure doors, turn off lights and lower heat or air conditioning when leaving the house for any prolonged period. Recently developed "photovoltaic film on the roof continues to grab energy from the entire light spectrum at the beginning and end of each day, generating more electricity than traditional photovoltaic panels or tiles," says Parks, gleefully noting that "it produces so much energy we can send it back to the power company." And there are Energy Star appliances, dual flush toilets, low flow faucets and showerheads, gray water systems in some of the bathrooms, and CFL and LED lighting.

A study done comparing the energy usage of the home with other comparably sized homes, using the HERS Index, a home energy rating system established by the Residential Energy Services Network, shows that the home is far more energy efficient that any of the others tested. On a scale of 100, with 0 representing a net zero energy home that sustains its energy needs itself, the Smart Home scored an astonishing 51 points. An Energy Star rated home scored 85; a newly constructed home 100 points; and a classic Chicago bungalow 126 points.

Then there are the renewable, recycled and recyclable materials used throughout, from bamboo flooring and FSC-certified woods to recycled glass tiles, organic fabrics, wood pulp countertops, no VOC paints and more.

And last in the design process, but perhaps most important to visitors since it provides them with immediate decorative solutions that can really make an instant impact in their homes, came the furnishings. Fitzpatrick sourced most of it through local furniture designers and artisans, many of whom are still under the radar, and ultimately proved that sustainable furnishings can be witty, dazzling and downright chic. Cases in point from locals include the Edison Twins pendant fixtures in the dining room by Ted Harris-large globes of glass filled with recycled incandescent light bulbs but lit with CFLs; 2 point perspective design's low-slung walnut and glass Hyde Park coffee table; a slab of burnished ash turned into a sculptural dining table by Terry Kardowicz; paunchy and pliable organic hemp beanbag chairs from Bean Products; and Fitzpatrick's own T-sofa and Meyer chairs, both upholstered in recycled fabrics. In some cases, she also used vintage furniture from resale shops, newly recovered in sustainable textiles.

In most projects of this nature, too many cooks can spoil the broth. In this case, they all made it richer. i4