GreenBean, a blog that covers built, in-progress and unbuilt green buildings in Chicago, gave a recent shout-out to PrairieMod. The post that refereed to us was in regards to a new house project called the Matson Residence, a 3,600 square foot, 2 story plus basement energy-efficient, single family home that backs up to the Chicago River. As described in the post:
The project will be Energy Star rated and is
an example of homeowners choosing an energy-efficient and green home
because of the benefits to themselves, without needing any outside
incentive.
The
prairie-inspired style seen here is a change of pace to the many green
homes in Chicago being built in modern or traditional styles; to me the
dominance of these styles is ironic given the natural alignment between
the original Prairie or Arts and Crafts ethic and the current
sustainability movement (at least in spirit if not in practice). See PrairieMod for a deeper exploration of this.
While we always appreciate the nod to the lifestyle we espouse, we can't help but wince a little at the included photo. The sheer size of this structure (how many people are in this single family to require that much space?) and the fact that it appears to dominate it's site--not grow out of it, as a true "Prairie" home should--gives us serious pause. The Matson's should be applauded for apparently pulling out all the stops to "Go Green," but a green McMansion is still a McMansion.
To be fair, we'll reserve final judgment until we can experience this house in person, or we receive more explicit info about it to contradict our assumptions. Until then, check out the rest of GreenBean to find out more about building green in Chi-town.
Photo copyright GreenBean
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