CHICAGO, IL, Jan. 28, 2008 -- Planning and construction have begun on the Smart Home, a Green, state-of-the-art, 2,500-square-foot, three-story house being built by Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.
The house, which will be located on the grounds of the museum, is scheduled to open to visitors May 8, 2008.
Along with a number of innovations that help reduce energy consumption, promote sustainability, and provide for a clean, healthy living environment, the Smart Home will be topped with a Green roof.
The home's designer, Michelle Kaufmann DesignsT (Oakland, California), and builder, All American HomesT (Decatur, Indiana), selected a modular Green roof system for the Smart Home developed by GreenGrid Green Roofs, a business of Weston Solutions.
"With a modular system, plant and growth media are preplanted in 100 percent recycled modules, which are then placed atop the roof, one after another," explains Thomas Hanzely, Midwest Sales/Technical Manager. "It is a very flexible system and allows for as much as 4,000 square feet of Green roof to be installed in a day," he says. "This makes installation of a modular system fast and cost effective."
The Smart Home planners believe a Green roof contributes to the "Greening" of the home because it provides added insulation, helping to reduce heating and air-conditioning costs as well as quiet the home, and helps mitigate storm water runoff, making the house more environmentally responsible as well.
"In the past year, we have seen a growing demand for Green roofs on homes and residential facilities," says Hanzely. "Many developers of Green commercial facilities almost always include a Green roof, and we are now seeing this being passed on to the residential market as well."
In addition to the Green roof, the house will include a full-home automation system that controls heat, window coverings, lighting, and security sensors all designed to help save natural resources while keeping residents safe and comfortable.
For more information on the Smart Home: www.msichicago.org
For more information on GreenGrid Green Roofs: http://www.greengridroofs.com
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