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Contacts:
Beth Boston, Museum of Science and Industry, (773) 947-6003
Lisa Miner, Museum of Science and Industry, (773) 947-6005

General Release

CHICAGO’S GREENEST HOME RE-OPENS WITH FRESH LOOK FROM MIDWEST LIVING
Midwest Living Interior Designer Takes on Museum of Science and Industry’s Smart Home: Green + Wired

CHICAGO (March 04, 2010) – The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) unveils Chicago’s Greenest Home on March 4, 2010, with a fresh new look and new green stories to tell.

The Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit, a fully-functioning, eco-friendly modular home on the Museum’s grounds, has been refreshed courtesy of Midwest Living. The home is designed to reflect the lifestyle of an empty-nester couple and features soft, organic textures and colors fused with a contemporary style—as well as unique green technologies for the 21st century. Since the Smart Home first debuted in May 2008 at MSI, more than 200,000 guests have taken guided tours of the exhibit; This year, tours will run through Jan. 9, 2011.

A Fresh Interior
With 2,500-square-feet; an open, light-filled design; and multi-purpose spaces, the Smart Home is a perfect fit for a tech-savvy couple whose children are grown. The home, built to fit a standard Chicago city lot, allows plenty of room and flexibility while offering empty-nesters a unique, elegant, urban environment. Interior designed by Midwest Living’s Senior Home Editor Carol Schalla, the 2010 exhibit emphasizes ease of day-to-day living, great spaces for entertaining, a master bedroom that serves as a retreat, a whimsical nursery/playroom for a visiting grandchild and a functional home office—all of which keep in mind harmony with the earth. The home’s organic aesthetic was inspired by the natural elements and colors of the Midwest heartland, and it highlights Earth’s beauty, along with the preservation of natural resources, by featuring responsible home products.

“Our objective was to enhance the already strong green message of the Smart Home with an interior design that highlights the natural environment and visually demonstrates the importance of preserving its many natural resources,” said Schalla.

An earthy palette of grays, browns and creams on the first floor was selected from thousands of colors available in high quality, zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint. Furniture pieces are made from recycled steel, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified woods, soy-based and recycled-fiber cushions, reclaimed wood, water-based finishes and organic fabrics. The kitchen countertop features recycled and repurposed glass, and elements of Dominick’s healthy O Organics™ brand are stored in FSC-certified oak kitchen cabinetry.

A highlight of the first floor is the wood and polished concrete dining room table, made by Chicago furniture designer Keelin Kennedy, from the wood of a 100-year-old bur oak tree that fell on the Museum’s property in 2009. Chicago artist Terry Karpowicz has also made a headboard, coffee table and three side tables from the tree for use in the home.

Upstairs, soft greens and blues symbolize new beginnings and renewed energy. The master bedroom and bath are designed as a personal retreat for the couple, featuring a bamboo bed with organic bedding. The master bath boasts a walk-in shower with gorgeous glass tile made from recycled wine bottles, sleek sinks created from recycled porcelain, low-flow showerheads and dual-flush toilets.

A playroom for visiting grandchildren is themed to highlight climate change in the arctic, with photo murals of seals and polar bears. A nursery area features a bamboo crib, organic and unbleached cotton crib linens and compostable diapers. The couples’ individual passions are expressed in the home office, outfitted for an interior designer, with a nature photographer’s “hobby” nook under the stairs.

Throughout the home the lighting design by GE Lighting helps to expand the mood of the interior design. Bringing the natural lighting of outdoors in, using the newest Energy Star-qualified CFL and LED bulbs, gives the Smart Home up to 75 percent more energy savings when compared to incandescent bulbs.

Unique Green Technologies
For the third year, the MSI is partnering with automation and technology advisor WIRED magazine to incorporate “smart” technologies into the home, with a continued focus on energy efficiency and allowing homeowners to make greener choices. The Smart Home features a sophisticated home automation system, which allows homeowners to operates the home’s temperature, lighting and entertainment features from touch screen panels. An energy monitoring system tracks, in real time, the amount of energy that is created by the home’s solar film as well as the 45-foot wind turbine, and also allows them to track their energy consumption. Internet energy pricing feed from ComEd advises the homeowner about electricity shortages during peak times of day, saving money. Other high-tech innovations in the home include a kitchen countertop that charges your mobile devices wirelessly; an air purifier with a sleek, high-tech look that scrubs the indoor atmosphere with a minimum of watts; and a digital photo frame that turns off when it doesn’t sense the motion of a human being.

Outside, bookending an outdoor deck, the garage becomes an extension of the home itself, and guests will find it a fun and functional, eco-friendly space that has been transformed by DIY Network’s popular primetime series “Garage Mahal.” Host Bill Goldberg, along with Bob Parks of WIRED magazine, renovated the Smart Home: Green + Wired space into an incredible garage featuring something for everyone in the family, from the gadget lover to the gardener. Premiering on Friday, April 23 at 8:30 p.m. CST, the special episode of DIY Network’s “Garage Mahal” showcases the garage’s ultimate tinkerer’s workbench with must-have tools, a year-round planting center, a hydroponic unit for fall and winter vegetable and herb gardens, a center dedicated to recycling household waste, and even a biodiesel unit to convert ordinary cooking oil into useable auto fuel.

A Look Outside
As guests journey into Smart Home Park, the landscaped area around the home, they find native Midwest plantings, a sustainable vegetable garden, rain barrels for watering, composters, creative use of container planting and more. This year’s landscape features the addition of raised bed planters that demonstrate options for bringing in healthy soil when urban land is contaminated. These beds also improve drainage, maximize space by eliminating walkways between rows, avoid compaction and enable gardeners who have physical disabilities.

Master gardener volunteers from the University of Illinois Extension will be at work and are available to answer questions 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from May 25 through Oct. 30, 2010.

How the Smart Home Came Together
The modular Smart Home was constructed at the All American Homes’ modular construction facility in Decatur, Ind. The module construction took place on an assembly line and lasted approximately eight weeks. In this precision-engineered and climate-controlled environment, All American is able to build homes 60 percent faster and in a more environmentally-friendly way than traditional site-built construction. (Waste is reduced because much of the lumber arrives precut, reducing the need to dispose of “off-cuts” in the field. Drywall scrap is trucked to local farmers to use in preparing soil for planting, keeping it out of landfills.)

Once finished on the factory line, the modules were transported to the Museum site in early March 2008 and set on the foundation at the Museum. After the initial set, final interior work, furnishing and landscaping were completed in preparation for the exhibit’s debut in May 2008.

Smart Home: Green + Wired is a must-see exhibit for anyone who wants their home, and life, to be smarter, more efficient and more in tune with the environment than it is today. This exhibit is not included in general admission and requires an additional timed-entry ticket. Tour times vary and are subject to change. The tickets, which include general Museum admission, are $25 for adults, $24 for seniors and $15 for children 3-11. City of Chicago residents receive a discount. Please visit msichicago.org for more information on schedules and to purchase tickets in advance.

Smart Home: Green + Wired is proudly sponsored by ComEd and Dominick’s.

The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) offers thousands of fun and interactive exhibits and one-of-a-kind, world-class experiences to inspire the inventive genius in everyone. Through its Center for the Advancement of Science Education, MSI also aspires to a larger vision: to inspire and motivate children to achieve their full potential in science, technology, medicine and engineering. Come visit and find your inspiration! MSI is open every day except December 25, and regular hours are 9:30 to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Museum is supported in part through the generosity of the people of Chicago through the Chicago Park District. For more information, find MSI online at msichicago.org or call (773) 684-1414 or (800) GO-TO-MSI outside of the Chicago area.

About Midwest Living
Midwest Living (MidwestLiving.com) owned by Meredith Corporation, is a regional media brand that celebrates the richness of life in the Midwest. Founded in 1987, the magazine is dedicated to providing its readers with a wealth of region-specific information and inspiration, focusing on travel and events, food and dining, and home and garden, as well as other editorial content categories. Midwest Living magazine, which reaches nearly 4 million readers, is published bi-monthly and has a rate base of 950,000.

WIRED Magazine
WIRED is the first word on how ideas and innovation are changing the world. Each month in the magazine and every day online, the editors deliver a glimpse into the future of business, culture, innovation and science. WIRED, published by Condé Nast has received three National Magazine Awards for general excellence (2005, 2007 and 2009) and was named Magazine of the Decade by Adweek (2009). In 2009, Wired.com was named Best Magazine Website by Adweek, Best News, Business & Finance Website by MPA Digital, and took home six Webby Awards. WIRED magazine and Wired.com reach more than 14 million readers a month.

DIY Network
DIY Network, from the makers of HGTV and Food Network, is the go-to destination for rip-up, knock-out home improvement television. DIY Network’s programs and experts answer the most sought-after questions and offer creative projects for do-it-yourself enthusiasts. One of the fastest growing digital networks and currently in more than 52 million homes, DIY Network’s programming covers a broad range of categories, including home improvement and landscaping. The network’s award-winning Web site, www.DIYNetwork.com, is a leader in the Nielsen Online Home and Garden category and features multiple resources, including thousands of do-it-yourself home improvement projects, expert advice, how-to videos and images, and user-friendly reference guides with step-by-step instructions.