Sustainable Design and Construction on Display at West Coast Green Conference

West Coast Green, the nation's largest residential green building conference, today announced that it will showcase a "zero-energy" green-built home in San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, directly across from City Hall. The eco-friendly, prefabricated modular home will be on public display throughout the three-day conference, which is held September 20-22, 2007. Tours of the house are free for West Coast Green Conference & Expo attendees.



Designed by internationally celebrated architect Michelle Kaufmann and built by XtremeHomes, the mkLotus will be constructed using sustainable materials and will include features such as its green "living roof", an integrated solar array, rain and ground water catchment systems for outdoor irrigation and an interior gray water system. Designed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding environment, mkLotus incorporates natural textiles and eco-friendly interior furnishings coordinated by Sunset Magazine and Michelle Kaufmann Designs. Operable glass accordion doors by NanaWall surround the living area on three sides to bring the outside in, adding warm natural light and increased ventilation. The mkLotus will be constructed using structural insulated panels (SIPs): high-performance, pre-fabricated building panels that are becoming a product of choice in residential green building.



A 100% sustainable garden, designed by Nicholas Thayer of Late Afternoon Garden Design, will enhance the setting at Civic Center Plaza. Landscaping design features will include native plants, green roof plants brought down to eye level for use as bio-swale, composting bin, and an inviting chaise lounge retreat.



The mkLotus is the latest and most anticipated design by Michelle Kaufmann, whose past projects include the Sunset Breezehouse, Glidehouse, and the mkSolaire. According to Kaufmann, "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to design such a hands-on example of a green home that will help educate people on sustainable, accessible solutions that they can implement in their daily lives for a big impact on energy bills, well-being, and our environment." The mkLotus is factory-built by XtremeHomes to ENERGY STAR, Build It Green, and LEED standards of excellence in energy efficiency.



For more information on the mkLotus, visit http://www.mklotus.com.

What: mkLotus on display at West Coast Green 2007
Where: Bill Graham Auditorium, 99 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
When: Thursday-Saturday, September 20-22, 2007
Register: http://www.westcoastgreen.com or (800) 724-4880

Michelle Kaufmann Designs
Architect Michelle Kaufmann is a leader in the green design community, and her commitment to sustainable design and living remains constant throughout all of her work. In 2002, Kaufmann founded Michelle Kaufmann Designs (MKD), a full-service architectural and design firm, to make sustainable, thoughtful buildings accessible to all. MKD is a proud partner of ENERGY STAR and is fully committed to creating high-quality, healthy, energy-efficient buildings. MKD has LEED accredited architects on staff and is affiliated with the United States Green Building Council.

Michelle Kaufmann Designs: http://www.dexigner.com/directory/detail/9369.html


XtremeHomes
XtremeHomes is a leading environmentally-focused, modular, and prefab home producer. Through its ongoing research and development, XtremeHomes focuses on ways to build homes that are more energy efficient, higher quality, and healthier than traditional site-built construction. As an ENERGY STAR partner, XtremeHomes endeavors to build all of its houses to ENERGY STAR, LEED, and Build It Green standards.

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