“Little Big Home” was coined to describe this 3,050-square-foot home, designed around a young family of four. From the insulated concrete foundation to the green roof, the home incorporates features aimed at practical comfort for a busy family.

The thick concrete panels of the old warehouse were ripped away and replaced with windows, creating an open, very light-driven, contemporary structure like sitting in a terminal at O’Hare Airport. The building was also equipped with an overhang protecting the glass walls from emitting too much light in the wrong areas. The orientation of the building takes advantage of morning sunlight. “I don’t really consider it a loss. We feel that considering this is the first Gold Certified Police building in the country, and that there were no renewable technology added to the building, we did very well.”

In December 2005, the Village of Oak Park began construction on what will be the first LEED certified public works facility in the state of Illinois. Completed in September of 2007, the $26 million facility maintains an array of environmentally friendly features and systems, and is presently in the process of acquiring LEED Gold Certified rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Green materials of the building include low-emission paints, adhesives, coatings, sealants and carpeting, while energy features include taking advantage of large windows for passive solar heat and installing an ultra-efficient HVAC system. What is more, the top of the building will be outfitted with a green roof.

The warm and caring people of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) in Evanston follow a line of thinking spoken in depth in the book of Genesis, which states that the children of Abraham must follow the code of Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world. They believe that it is their duty to improve the condition of the world which they have inherited. JRC’s commitment to Tikkun Olam is readily apparent in their LEED® Platinum certified congregation center on Dodge Avenue.