mkLotus by Michelle Kaufmann Designs, the West Coast Green Showhouse
One reason to attend West Coast Green is to see the unveiling of Michelle Kaufmann Design's newest home, the mkLotus. Built by ExtremeHomes, mkLotus is going to be the Showhouse for West Coast Green in San Francisco from September 20-22, 2007. I can't wait to see this. Here's a laundry list of green materials and features going into the mkLotus: green living roof, solar power (100% powered by solar), rain and groundwater catchment system, gray water system, FSC-certified wood for framing, SIP wall assembly, open cell foam insulation by Icynene, Noritz on-demand water heater, folding glass door walls by Nanawall, bamboo flooring, no-VOC paints by Yolo, LED lighting throughout, EcoResin interior sliding door panels by 3form, Energy Star appliances, countertops by Concreteworks, FSC-certified cabinets over Roseburg Skyblend particleboard, floor and wall recycled glass tiles by Terra Green, and water-efficient fixtures by Kohler. Wow, this is going to look nice inside.
I'm wanting to visit the conference just to see this home and participate in what's going to be the future of residential real estate. This is the future of real estate construction. According to MKD, off-site modular construction results in 50-70% less waste than traditional site-built construction.
In addition to seeing the mkLotus, I also want to check out this list of plenaries and keynotes: Allison Arieff, Cameron Sinclair, David Eisenberg, Tom Paladino, Ed Mazria, Ed Begley Jr., Michelle Kaufmann, Eric Corey Freed, Sim Van der Ryn, Peter Pfeiffer, Gavin Newsom, Erin Brockovich (really?), Sarah Susanka, Bob Berkebile, and more... This is going to be a jam-packed event. More pictures below the fold.
Good Links:
++Michelle Kaufmann Designs mkLotus Page
++MKD Townhouse + SketchUp + Breezehouse + mkSolaire [JG]
Hi,
Firstly, I thing you are doing a fantastic job with your blog. Thanks very much for all the information you present.
In reference to the West Coast Green even – for those of us in other parts of the world, in my case – Australia, It would be fantastic if you could do a summary of the important points. I am an Architect/Construction Manager, and the main reason I read your blog on a daily basis, if essentially to understand what the market is doing in the states and extrapolate to see what the trends might be for the future – we are essentially 1-2 years behind in what the USA does.
Cheers, and thanks again for the excellent work you are doing.
Rui
Posted by: Rui Martins | July 12, 2007 at 04:13 PM
@Rui
Thanks for dropping by and leaving your thoughts. Assuming I can get registration and get down to San Francisco, I'll be giving my best documentation on the event. Also, by all means, feel free to email me whenever in case your looking for specific information. If I don't have the answer, I'll get you in touch with people that do.
Posted by: Preston | July 13, 2007 at 12:25 AM
MetaEfficient has a post up about this at that site.
Posted by: Preston | July 17, 2007 at 11:21 AM
When I first posted about this, if you were to do a Google search for "mkLotus," you would have found 0 articles. I know because I tried after posting the article. Now, as you can see, eight days later, the webosphere is flooded with information on the mkLotus. That's the power of this thing, it's crazy.
Posted by: Preston | July 20, 2007 at 01:06 PM
Check the images of the real deal, the mkLotus on show at West Coast Green.
Posted by: Preston | October 05, 2007 at 10:08 PM