Designing Sustainably for Social Justice

By NextHaus Alliance Founding Member, Kipnis Architecture + Planning

Kipnis Architecture + Planning believes that “affordable” and “sustainable” provide synergies that support the health and wellbeing of the planet and the home’s occupants, as well as the values of local communities. The firm’s portfolio includes a handful of affordable housing projects through the years while the team’s practice daily reinforces the values of social equity. 

Between 2011 and 2013 and with grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2), Kipnis Architecture + Planning renovated homes and condominiums in Evanston, Ill., in poor condition, with issues including water leakage and substandard mechanical and ventilation systems. Sustainable upgrades included installing new, higher performance windows, improving the insulation systems, upgrading the mechanical systems and making the homes watertight.

NSP2 was established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to stabilize neighborhoods damaged by foreclosure and abandonment. Working on the condominiums and this two-unit building supported local companies and provided the community with sustainable, affordable housing opportunities.

We took some of the worst homes in Evanston and made them significantly better. (Kipnis Architecture + Planning photo)

Green Homes for Chicago – held in 2002 as a collaboration between Chicago’s Department of Housing and Department of Environment in conjunction with Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago – selected architects from a 2000 international design competition to build an affordable green home in the city’s Englewood and Hermosa neighborhoods. Kipnis Architecture + Planning's submitted three designs, with the following selected from over 100 applicants. It was finished in 2002 with Mark A. Miller Architecture as a designer partner.

(Kipnis Architecture + Planning photo)

“Creative strategies were employed to maximize energy efficiency with a small budget,” said Nathan Kipnis, FAIA, founder and principal of Kipnis Architecture + Planning. 

Sustainable features include one of the first uses of continuous insulation in the Chicago area, linoleum flooring made from natural jute fibers, carpeting made of recycled plastic soda bottles and cement-fiber board siding. 

“When an adjacent house burned, the green home didn’t catch fire,” Kipnis said. “The cement fiberboard siding proved its worth as embers glanced off of the siding.”

Although this particular design was also submitted in the Green Homes for Chicago competition, it has not yet been built. “It stands as a pillar of our belief in the future of sustainable homes,” Kipnis said. The classic Midwest Prairie Style design has passive solar and tight construction details for high efficiency. 

(Kipnis Architecture + Planning rendering)

“Consulting on the Chicago Green Bungalow Initiative in 2001, Jeanne Gang, founder of Studio Gang, and I were consultants for four energy-efficient and sustainable bungalows in the City of Chicago,” Kipnis said. 

Energy efficiency reduced the homes’ operating costs and enabled families of moderate income to afford them. The average space-heating energy savings ranged from $574 to $1,073 per year in 2001, providing meaningful savings that improved their quality of life.

(Kipnis Architecture + Planning photo)

“That’s still a pretty significant savings,” Kipnis said, “proving that sustainability and affordability can work together to support the health and wellbeing of the planet and the home’s occupants, as well as the values of local communities.”

Learn more about NextHaus Alliance member Kipnis Architecture + Planning and its work in sustainable architecture and resilient design on Facebook and Instagram, and at www.kipnisarch.com.

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Designing for the COVID-19 Era

If you were planning to build a home now, wouldn’t your wants and needs be different than a year ago?  I am an interior designer, living in a beautiful, mid-century, open plan home which was ideal until the COVID-19 crisis forced us to work from home. In hindsight, I see a few things we could have done to make our new situation more workable. 

At the office 

There are enclosed rooms where I could have set up shop, but the light and view aren’t as pleasant as in my dining room. There, surrounded by glass, the view is lovely, and everything is just fine until I get a chill and need a sweater or a down vest.  The thermal properties of my 50’s windows are not great.  I’d love to have more consistent temperature control.

My husband works at a desk in our family room which is about 30 feet from my “desk”, i.e. the dining table.  He wears a headset but every now and then a belt of laughter shatters my concentration.  

When one of us has a conference call (why do we raise our voices while talking to a screen?) the other’s workflow stops.  Wouldn’t it be great to have separate workspaces or at least better sound proofing?

The reinvented, relevant mudroom

It occurs to me that the name “mudroom” has taken on a new meaning.  It should probably be called “cleaning chamber.” It should have a sink, place to discard masks and gloves, an area to place boxes before they are sanitized and a bench to remove and store shoes.  

Fortunately, I have a cabinet right by the front door with a drawer full of masks so when my deliveries arrive, I can don a mask and sign for my package and pull out my hand sanitizer.

Pantry pointers

One thing that hasn’t changed is our love of cooking and eating and we are doing much more of that.   We do have a great kitchen that accommodates most of our needs.  Had I known of the coming sheltering in place, I would have planned more food storage.  We were minimalists.

Rhythm of the light

Binge watching Netflix? If you have your nights and days mixed up, there is a lighting solution that can assist in getting you back on track.  LED lighting has developed to the point that the color temperature of the light can change throughout the day to match the circadian rhythms of the body.  Bright and golden colored in the morning to energize and changing throughout the day to cause relaxation and preparation for sleep.  A good night’s sleep is invaluable.   

Form and function

Our home was set up for large family gatherings, lots of seating, lots of open space.  That space is working well because I now have a card table set up for the constant jig saw puzzles.  Knowing how long this could go on, I am going to replace it with a “real table”.   I will also add a cabinet to store the things that are now in plastic boxes on every dining chair.  We are back to the thinking of the early Americans when each piece of furniture had multiple purposes and took up the minimum amount of space.

I have always valued order and beauty in our surroundings. They have a calming effect on us, especially now when we are spending so much time at home. For many people, home was once a place to crash after a long stressful day.  Many features and functions may have been ignored and small problems unaddressed. However, this current crisis can help us all evaluate what we truly need and want in our homes today and into the future.

If you were planning to build a house today, would the first thing you would say be, “I want it to be beautiful”?  How about prioritizing, health, energy efficiency, adaptability, and comfort to enhance the lives of everyone who lives there? With all of that it will be beautiful and serve many purposes. 

Janet McCann is president of Janet McCann Associates, Inc. in Northfield, Ill. She is a core member of NextHaus Alliance. Learn more at janetmccanndesign.com

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The Next Kitchen: Heart of the Home, In Harmony with Nature

By Robert Accarino, Valcucine Chicago and Core Member, NextHaus Alliance

Clean lines. Sleek finishes. Palettes that soothe yet inspire. Clever features designed around functionality and the simultaneous desire to live neatly and efficiently.

Long called the heart of the home, the kitchen is also the face of a residence. After all, kitchens aren’t just where we prepare and serve foods – they are the spaces where we connect with family, friends and neighbors. People are drawn to kitchens on an everyday weeknight or a large gathering, even when there isn’t any actual cooking going on. We simply like to be there.

As both the face and the heart of the home, a kitchen reflects you, from the way you cook and eat and drink to your penchant for tiding up or effectively hiding clutter that would otherwise sit in plain sight. Given people’s busy lives, kitchens are also designed around convenience in many innovative ways.

Sustenance and Sustainability

Increasingly, kitchens are designed with sustainability in mind. Just as people are choosing organic and natural foods and beverages, they are thinking about the ways in which they can live more lightly on the earth, including in their homes. Today’s kitchens can be as sustainable as foods and beverages that go into the pantry or refrigerator, including repurposed or sustainably sourced materials and energy-efferent appliances and lighting.

At Valcucine Chicago, we focus on people and the environment in which they live, along with the greater environment. We’re proud to offer features like flooring made from wood harvested from sustainably managed forests in Europe and cabinetry that is resilient, high-tech and richly inviting, based on your personal tastes and preferences. Our eco-tech kitchen features elements like the lightest door that fits into an aluminum structure resistant to water, steam and heat. With this kitchen, there is a significant reduction in the materials used, plus environmental attributes like sustainable finishes.

Such innovative kitchens help people live in harmony in their personal surroundings and in nature, and are examples of how such spaces can be designed around well-being – making the kitchen the heart, face and, ultimately, lifeblood of a home.

Join us in our kitchen to see the NextHaus of the future

Living in harmony at home and in nature is not just the way of the future. We invite you to spend some time in our kitchens to see and learn about today’s cutting-edge designs that combine beauty and sustainability. On Saturday, April 13, NextHaus Alliance – of which Valcucine Chicago is a proud core member– is hosting an exclusive event, “Designing Your NextHaus” at Valcucine Chicago, 300 W. Superior in Chicago from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

At this event, you can experience what’s next in the interior and exterior of visionary homes, hear from leading designers and experts and sample organic foods and wines. To learn more and RSVP, visit our Events page

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How Interior Design Reflects Your Style – and Your Lifestyle and Values

Far beyond choosing personally pleasing palettes and patterns, interior design today is about creating environments that define and enhance the quality of existence for the people who live there.

After all, you spend much of your life inside your home, so having it reflect your lifestyle as well as your style is key to the overall enjoyment of your surroundings.

Design has evolved over the years with the different ways in which we live our lives. People’s values have changed over time, and that changes the quality of life. Decades ago, for example, the concept of a kitchen was based on a space where you would work and serve meals. Today, kitchens are open, inviting and increasingly functional for other pursuits. Similar lifestyle-driven changes impacted the design of master suites, baths and living rooms.

In more recent times and almost certainly into the future, other values affect interior design, including the value of living lighter on the earth. While major systems of cooling and heating and window choices are one aspect of creating a resilient home, so, too is design and décor. 

Indeed, there are many design pieces that provide environmental, societal and economic benefits. Beautiful products are available that are made in a responsible, sustainable way, from textiles produced from natural fibers to eco-friendly paints that do not emit fumes to recycled materials that can be used on countertops.  You can also make a difference by buying locally-made materials, such as cabinets or tiles, which help fuel the local economy. 

Some elements, including appliances, help improve the environmental health of the home, like refrigerators that can clean the air in a house. You might be surprised by the look and performance of modern induction cooking systems, which heat fast and cool down just as quickly for greater control over cooking. (I personally love the beauty of a glass top induction range.)

Homeowners can also choose materials created to withstand challenges from nature. At a time when hundred-year rains come every other year or so, rubber flooring or tiles instead of carpet is a much more resilient option in areas vulnerable to flooding, like basements. 

On another level, interior design choices have a wider impact that extends beyond the structure of your house and your property lines. How do you define and enhance the quality of your existence and living space? You can express your values in not only on how you choose to heat your house, but also with the materials you put in it, all of which can serve a greater purpose. 

Janet McCann is president of Janet McCann Associates, Inc. in Northfield, Ill. She is a core member of NextHaus Alliance. Learn more at janetmccanndesign.com

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