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The
Green House is an exhibit at the National Building Museum in
Washington DC. It shows many of the state of the art
technologies available for residential building.
One of the
highlights is the Glidehouse.
A portion of one
of these homes was assembled for the exhibit.
It's a super
energy efficient house that's available as a prefab. Buyers
can configure it as a 2, 3 or 4 bedroom design. It uses just
about everything that's cutting edge in terms of building
materials.
some of the
Glidehouse's goodies:
a tankless,
on demand water heater (it instantly heats water when needed,
rather than heating 30-80 gallons just in case you need some
hot water)
LED lighting
super
efficient appliances
bamboo
plywood
bamboo
flooring
FLOR carpet
tiles
Edipo cork
plank flooring
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A short video
runs continuously showing the architect's Glidehouse, so you
can get a better idea of what the whole house is like. Hers
uses solar electricity.
watch the video online (click on the
link under the picture of architect Michelle Kaufmann) |
At this
point, the Glidehouse is primarily available on the west
coast, but hopefully will become available nationwide. You can
learn more at
mkd-arc.com.
Another part
of the exhibit displays earth friendly building materials. If
you've ever wanted to see what things like bamboo floors look
and fell like, this is a good opportunity. On display you'll
find DuraPalm mature coconut flooring, Marmoleum, and just
about everything imaginable.
If you're
interested in remodeling or getting a new home, there's a lot
of valuable information here.
There are
small models of energy efficient apartments, such as Solaire
in Battery Park in New York City, and
Viikki Eco-Housing
in Finland.
Be sure not
to miss the gift store. They have some of the best books on
green building. Also, check out their bamboo veneerware and
utensils from
bambuhome.com.
When you
visit, be sure to pick up a copy of the 36 page "Green
Resource Guide". It lists dozens of suppliers of state of the
art building materials for floors, walls, ceilings, and
kitchen counter tops, as well as architects around the world
that have designed homes and buildings. The guide is free.
The exhibit
runs through June 2007. No photography is allowed in the Green
House portion of the building. There is a suggested donation
of $5. The National Museum is directly
across the street from the Judiciary Square Metro stop on the
red line.
interior of the
National Building Museum
The Green House
display is at the end of the first floor. If you're coming in from the
Metro, it's to your left.
The Museum is
directly across the street from the entrance to the Judiciary Square stop
on the Metro red line.
Oct. 2006
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