Residential Information
Urban Infill Home Greens Brownfield Remediation Site
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Dec 1, 2005, 17:18

The Kaufmann Home, a Work in Progress(ive)

Background

In 2002, Milwaukeeans Mike and Juli Kaufmann set out to better align their lives with their values of personal responsibility, commitment to urban community, and environmental sustainability.   Since a house is the biggest financial investment and the most significant consumption of products they will likely make in their lifetime, they decided to build a green home as an embodiment of these values. 

After extensive research, they chose a contaminated city lot. Located within the fabric of Walker’s Point, an historic Milwaukee neighborhood, the lot had stood vacant for nearly three decades.  A two-year odyssey ensued to acquire the lot from the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee and to complete hazardous waste clean-up in compliance with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources brownfield remediation requirements (see “A Pragmatic Green Residential Case Study” for lessons learned).  With pre-construction work finally complete, groundbreaking occurred in November, 2005.  Click here to learn more about brownfield remediation in Wisconsin http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/aw/rr/

Green Highlights

§         Small Footprint:  The footprint of a building can be thought of in two ways: one is the actual amount of space it occupies on the ground, and the other is the amount of natural resources it consumes. Consequently, size is the most environmentally important decision in designing a home. The Kaufmann home has a footprint of 900 ft².  Local building codes forced the Kaufmann home to be larger than they felt they needed, even so, coming in at 1,600 ft² of living space, the home is significantly smaller than the average American home of 2,200 ft².  By eliminating most hallways, it actually achieves a comparable living space.

§         Geothermal Heating and Cooling: A Geoexchange system provides heating and cooling at efficiencies that are far better than most systems by using the nearly constant temperature of the earth's mass as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer. The Kaufmann House uses a closed, horizontal loop of tubing placed at 7 feet below the ground surface and infused with a refrigerant to transfer heat year-round. Geothermal systems drastically cut energy bills, and greenhouse gas emissions.  All with the added benefit of reducing the hot water and maintenance costs while increasing year-round comfort.  Since soil needed to be removed for environmental remediation anyway, this approach became economically feasible.  Click here to learn more about geothermal heating and cooling   http://www.wisgeo.org/systems.html

§         PEX Plumbing: PEX offers many advantages over other plastic and metal tubing. Health benefits result from its completely non-toxic formulation free of harmful lead, copper and other minerals. Economic benefits accrue from its durability resulting from no joints behind the walls and guarantee not to corrode or erode. PEX is quiet, virtually maintenance free, and affordable.  Click here to learn about PEX (cross linked Polyethylene)

 http://www.ppfahome.org/pex/faqpex.html

• Bio-based, spray foam insulation: The Kaufmann’s expect to achieve R-values of 22 for walls and 42 for ceilings, while also eliminating nearly all infiltration by using soy based spray foam insulation.  Click here to learn more about  biobased soy insulation  http://www.biobased.net/faq.php

•  Reclaimed Materials: Maple flooring from awarehouse redevelopment underway in the adjacent Third Ward neighborhood has been reclaimed and will be refinished for the home. Floor surfaces not covered by reclaimed materials will likely be covered with cork flooring, a renewable resource with insulating and sound dampening qualities.

§         Low Maintenance Exterior:  The house will be clad in brick, concrete, stone, and metal, eliminating almost all exterior paint products and ensuring minimum long-term maintenance costs.  Using these materials, the home blends both historic and modern design elements, while remaining in compliance with Historic Preservation standards.

§         Green Roof: A GreenGrid roof will be installed on the Coach House Garage.  This green roof system is modular, with drainage layers, filter cloth, growing media and plants located in movable, interlocking grids. Click her to learn more about GreenGrid http://www.greengridroofs.com/

§         Rain Water Collection System: Recyclable, standing seam Galvalume® steel serves as the roofing material on the main home. Besides lasting at least 4 times as long as an asphalt roof, steel releases its heat faster in the summer (reducing cooling costs), and it allows for rainwater harvesting without the granules and petroleum that wash off asphalt.  By letting downspouts empty into rain barrels and an integrated garden irrigation system, no storm water will leave the lot. Click here to learn more about downspout disconnection in Milwaukee, WI: http://www.mmsd.com/programs/downspout_disconnection.cfm

• Landscaping: The yard will create an environmental urban oasis of gardens using xeriscaping principals. The goal of xeriscape is to create a visually attractive landscape that uses native plants selected for their water efficiency.  Click here for more information on natural landscaping: http://www.epa.gov/greenacres/

               WGBA will post more photos as construction continues

[Direct questions regarding this building project to: juli.kaufmann@gmail.com]