michelle kaufmann designs

Yesterday, Smart Home’s doors (and Nanawalls) opened at the Museum of Science and Industry to the general public for the first time on what may have been one of the most exciting days of my life. Opening day was a thrilling culmination of the months of hard work that everyone who worked on the project devoted to making it happen. It was also a very heartwarming experience to watch the crowds of visitors coming though the house, smiles on their faces, intently listening to docents discuss everything in the exhibit that makes Smart Home both green and wired. For me and everyone else who took part in making the vision of Smart Home a reality, the day was extremely moving and almost overwhelming. Click on the links below to read more about opening day, the exhibit, and all of the amazing features and experiential learning opportunities that Smart Home has to offer:

Chicago Sun-Times: MSI looks to past for futuristic green house
Dwell.com: First Look: mkSolaire
Daily Herald: Nuts and bolts of museum’s Smart Home
abc7 Chiago: Smart Home Chicago at Museum of Science and Industry
Quad City Times: Museum taps Q-C native for ‘Smart Home’ exhibit
Curbed SF: Greener Than Thou: Urban Living, The Michelle Kaufmann Way

For the thousands and thousands of visitors who will pass through its doors after its opening at the Museum of Science and Industry on May 8th, Smart Home: Green + Wired will be an eye-opening experience of unparalleled proportion. The exhibit will be an experiential lesson in sustainable design and green living as well as the latest in smart technology and home automation systems. One of the really exciting things about the marriage of green and wired in this exhibit is that it reflects trends of green technology we’re seeing now on a grand scale. As the importance of green technology becomes evermore obvious and the amount of investment it garners increases, we are beginning to see some extraordinary innovations that are making it easier and more affordable for more people to go green.
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Today I’m here, once again, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago where I have been quite a few times this year, but this is definitely my most exciting visit yet; the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit is opening this week!! On Thursday, May 8th, Smart Home’s doors will open to the public for the first time! So right now, even as I write, teams of people from the Museum, Norcon (our site contractor) and a myriad of other fantastic folks are running around, racing to get everything finished before opening day (maybe the cutest thing happening today are the “practice” tours that all the Museum’s guides are giving the rest of the Museum staff).

Absolutely everyone involved is doing an amazing job. I am just overjoyed to see so much love going into this home - it’s incredibly touching. Of course, we’ve been clicking away the whole time, taking dozens of pictures of the Smart Home, all our team members, and the thrilling touch up work that’s been progressing almost miraculously throughout the day! Keep reading to see some of the great photos we’ve already taken today…

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Photo by JB Spector

According to the Chicago Green Homes Program, Smart Home: Green + Wired (opening at the Museum of Science and Industry this Thursday, May 8th) is “Chicago’s Greenest Home”! A while back, when we discussed Chicago’s Green Homes Program we told you that Smart Home had surpassed the minimum score of 350 points (left it in the dust, in fact) for the highest possible rating of 3 stars and almost earned double that (530 points) after only the first of three reviews. Now, on the eve of it’s opening, Smart Home has earned the distinction of being the City’s greenest home based on a comprehensive review of the home’s construction phase, materials, and design in relation to the Chicago’s Green Building Standards.

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I feel so fortunate that in the course of my job I get to work with such amazing people to help them create sustainable, beautiful homes for their families. In going through the creation process together, most of our clients actually become like family to us. And Glen Haney and Wing Yu are certainly like family to me. Just this past weekend, Glen and Wing invited me, Scott Landry (MKD project manager for their Sunset Breezehouse), and Paul Melish (their site contractor), and all of our spouses over to their stunning new home for a lovely dinner in celebration of what we all accomplished together.

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Photo by All American Homes

The thoughtfulness of the Smart Home’s design extends beyond everything it does to keep the environment healthy; it also provides a healthy environment in and of itself. Healthy Environment is our fifth EcoPrinciple and one that is too often overlooked in most homes. On average, we spend 80 to 90% of our time indoors, so it’s hugely important that the quality of our indoor environment be as healthful as possible. Yet the typical home has a surprising number of unhealthy elements that diminish air quality and jeopardize your family’s health. So the Smart Home, like all MKD homes, has been built to protect the health of everyone who will come to visit it once it opens at the Museum of Science and Industry on May 8th by creating an indoor environment that’s virtually free from such threats.

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Even though it sits right next to one of the largest lakes in the United States, the Smart Home exhibit (opening at the Museum of Science and Industry next week!) contains as many water conserving solutions as it does elements of our other four EcoPrinciples. Water Conservation is crucial in this day and age as water is quickly becoming the next oil; experts are now predicting that the wars of the 21st century will be fought over water in the same way the wars of the 20th were fought over oil. We therefore need to start doing a lot more in our daily lives to save this precious resource. So inside the Smart Home visitors are going to see all sorts of great water saving technology, including grey water systems, low flow showers and faucets, on-demand water heaters, and dual flush toilets. Outside the home there are even more great water saving features to behold.

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