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Urban Green House, Chicago

ShoreBank Helps Bring First-Ever "Green" Home to Bronzeville

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Like many first-time home buyers, Lotten Yeaney and Kevin Hampton are excited about moving into their new home. But this home is not just a first for the owners; it's a first for the community, as well.  That's because Lotten and Kevin purchased Bronzeville's first single-family environmentally sustainable home.

Known as the "Urban Green House," the brand-new three bedroom home on Chicago's South Side incorporates cost-saving green features such as central lighting shafts, cooling floor slabs, and a thermal rock bed and garden. It has been rated as the "greenest" new single-family residence in Chicago.

ShoreBank provided construction financing for the project and the City of Chicago donated the land. The design of the home is a product of a dynamic partnership between students in the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and community developer Genesis Housing Development Corporation (GHDC).

"What makes this project truly special is the creative team behind the work," said Eva Kulterman, Assistant Professor at the IIT School of Architecture. "The collaboration between IIT students and local youth [who contributed to construction] really exemplifies the next generation of brains and hands that are designing and building affordable and sustainable homes."

The unique Urban Green House has garnered building tours and international attention and is being touted as a model of green design that can be replicated across the city and country.

"There is sometimes a stereotype that 'green' consciousness only happens among a certain demographic and in affluent areas," said Holly Marshall, Director of Operations at GHDC. "The Bronzeville community has embraced this creative and eco-friendly approach to affordable housing and welcomes many more similar projects in the future."

In September 2007, GHDC held a lottery for local residents to have first dibs on purchasing the new home. Lotten and Kevin were among five finalists and ultimately won the opportunity to be a part of Bronzeville's history.

For more information on the Urban Green House visit http://www.iit.edu/~arch545/.

 

 

  
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