Designed by Farr Associates and constructed by Goldberg General Contracting, the Yannell Residence is often being referred to as one of the greenest homes ever to be constructed. Proving what it takes to be one of the best in the world, the designers focused on reducing the home’s carbon footprint with the use of renewable energy generating systems and ecofriendly materials. Yannell Residence, Illinois’ first LEED Platinum-certified home, boasts the nation’s highest score for a net-zero energy residence.

The residence was designed and built as an exercise in Net Zero Energy building – producing 40% more energy than it consumes – it demonstrates that beautiful, sustainable, energy-positive housing can be integrated seamlessly into existing housing stock in northern climates. The home features the use of geothermal wells and a solar power system that collectively generate about 18,000KWh of electricity annually.

The floor plan features two narrow wings, maximizing solar penetration for winter heating, and aid in natural ventilation. Connected by a foyer, each wing faces a landscaped interior courtyard garden that creates views of outdoor rooms and habitat certified by the National Wildlife Federation. Each wing features a butterfly-shaped roof: capturing rainwater, hiding the home’s 10KW photovoltaic array, and providing solar shading and access. The passive solar design features low-E windows on the south face of each wing, significantly reducing energy transmission. Advanced, integrated energy systems include a geothermal system, cooling forced air in summer, and warming radiant floors in winter. The north walls of each wing feature an interior mass wall/plenum air return system that allows heated air to pass along the front- and back-sides of the mass wall, recirculating the air through the house to minimize mechanical energy usage.

The greywater/ rainwater systems demonstrate that water conservation is critical for truly sustainable design. Spent water from the washing machine is collected and filtered to provide potable-equivalent water for dual flush toilets. Rainwater is collected in a cistern and used to water landscaping. The courtyard fountain serves as a design element and a method to keep the water in the cistern in constant motion—inhibiting stagnation and bacteria growth. The Yannell Residence sheds light on what is possible now in America and gives further credibility to the identity of Chicago as being on the forefront of sustainable design and living.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 9th, 2010 at 10:41 am and is filed under Sustainable Home. Tags: ecofriendly house, Farr Associates, Goldberg General Contracting, LEED Platinum-certified home, Net Zero Energy building, net-zero energy residence, Sustainable Home, Sustainable House Design, Yannell Residence. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.