Museum of Science and Industry's modular home
Posted 5/22/2008 by Mark Boyer
During my visit to Hyde Park earlier this week, I dropped by the Museum of Science and Industry's Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit.
After speaking with Anne Rashford, the museum's director of temporary exhibits, I joined a tour and had a closer look at some of the finishes and design features in the 2,500 square-foot mkSolaire model home.
The house is a modular home designed by California-based Michelle Kaufmann Designs. It was constructed in Decatur, Ind., and shipped to the Hyde Park museum campus in March. Rashford says the house would only cost about $400,000 to build, not including property costs.
Kaufmann seems an odd choice for the exhibit, considering that her firm doesn't build homes anywhere in the Midwest, according to her own Web site, and prefabricated homes don't seem nearly as popular in Chicago as they are on the West Coast. I suppose the lack of modular homes in the area itself might be reason enough to feature one at the museum.
Below is a look at the kitchen, and the garage is in the back. Check back later for more pictures and video from my visit.
Comments
5/22/08
ts said:
Can anyone recommend a firm that could design and build these types of homes in the Chicago area?
I have looked into the Dwell homes but, they seem to be marked up based on having Dwell Magazine attached to them.
Thanks in advance.
Sheridan B. said:
ts; try fabprefab - it's a sort of clearing house website for prefab/modular/modernist manufactured housing. They have links to several companies in the midwest who do this sort of product for a lot less than the Dwell houses.
Simon Deery said:
I'm fairly certain that prefab housing is not permitted in Chicago. Something to do with union lobbying. Can anyone confirm?
Sheridan B. said:
Most of it isn't really suitable for 25×125 lots anyways, but as long as it meets code and is produced and "installed" by union labor it would be fine. Certainly panelized construction is done widely in the city already, though modules might be a harder sell.
8/8/08
David K said:
It doesn't necessarily have to be union labor, the real hold up is with meeting the stricter electrical and plumbing codes that the City of Chicago has. It becomes very near impossible to put together a modular home in those regards, you pretty much have to dismantle those system and redo.