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.

Energy efficiency is achieved with a well-insulated envelope consisting of 2×6 studs 24″ on center with blown-in cellulose insulation, and a layer of rigid insulation as part of the exterior sheathing - this is all standard best practice for frame construction that regular readers may be tired of seeing repeated! Panelized construction was also used to reduced waste and framing times - see 2020 Green Dream for a more experimental example of this. Solar hot water panels are used both to preheat air in the furnace and heat domestic hot water, while a solar attic exhaust fan system maintains good attic ventilation.

The home also includes rain barrels for irrigation and takes advantage of the unusually wooded site by allowing trees to shade the large south-facing windows in the summer. The project is nearly complete - other team members include MEP engineer Jim Cuchra and chief carpenter John Popa of American Construction.