Exhibition Fact Sheet from the National Building Museum

The Green House: Fact Sheet

New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design Exhibition Fact Sheet

Exhibition

The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design

When

May 20, 2006 – June 24, 2007

Where

National Building Museum, first-floor galleries

Overview

A groundbreaking exhibition, The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design reveals exciting trends in green technology, materials, and design yielding homes that are as aesthetically compelling as they are environmentally friendly. Featuring an international survey of 20 contemporary residences by such architects as American William McDonough, Australian Peter Carmichael, and German Werner Sobek — plus a full-size, furnished replica of architect Michelle Kaufmann’s Glidehouse™ — The Green House answers key questions: What makes a home or product green? How is a green home healthier, safer, and more comfortable? What are the costs of going green? Visitors will emerge armed with useful knowledge about how to lead more sustainable lives.

Artifacts

Divided into five sections, the exhibition opens with a full-size, furnished version of architect Michelle Kaufmann’s Glidehouse™, giving visitors a real experience of a green home as they walk through a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and “outdoor” deck.

Next, graphic panels and hands-on displays educate visitors about Five Green Principles: Wisely Using the Land; Working with the Sun; Creating High-Performance and Energy-Efficient Houses; Improving Indoor Air Quality; and Wisely Using the Earth’s Material Resources. The third section, Contemporary Green Houses, features models, photographs, and drawings of 20 homes from around the world that demonstrate how cutting-edge architects and builders are applying green principles to the design and construction of aesthetically innovative homes. The fourth section of the exhibition, a Materials Resource Room, highlights a variety of green domestic materials from carpets to countertops, as well as a selection of environmentally-friendly structural systems in concrete, wood, and metal. Visitors will be able to touch these materials and learn about their properties and benefits. Lastly, a Summations Galleryoffers visitors a chance to revisit the Glidehouse and its surroundings via three video monitors, one of which features an interview with Michelle Kaufmann, Glidehouse architect and resident. Simple steps to achieve a greener, more sustainable home are also presented.

Curators

The Green House is guest curated by Donald Albrecht, together with consulting curators and book authors Alanna Stang and Christopher Hawthorne. At the National Building Museum, the exhibition is organized by Curatorial Associate Reed Haslach.

Exhibition Design

The 7,000-square-foot exhibition is designed by the award-winning firm of Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis (LTL). Based in New York, LTL has designed exhibitions for The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Van Alen Institute, to name a few. Exhibition graphic design is by the New York firm of Pure+Applied.

Book 

The accompanying book, The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture, is co-authored by the exhibition’s consulting curators, Alanna Stang and Christopher Hawthorne, and was co-published in advance of the exhibition by the National Building Museum and Princeton Architectural Press. The 192-page, fully illustrated book features 29 residences from across the globe that serve as outstanding examples of sustainable and aesthetically-compelling design.

Education Programs

Educational programming for a variety of audiences will supplement the exhibition, with a major symposium on the design and construction of green houses planned for fall 2006. Within the exhibition, displays aimed at and made accessible to families and young visitors, including a free family activity guide, will encourage learning.

Traveling Exhibition

The Green House will travel to major museums across the United States for two years following its close at the Museum in June 2007, with cities potentially including Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. The traveling portion of the exhibition will include the models, photographs, and drawings featured in the Contemporary Green Houses section, as well as the Materials Resource Room and the concluding videos.  

Exhibition Sponsors

The Green House is presented by The Home Depot Foundation with generous support from the ASID Foundation of the American Society of Interior Designers, Bosch home appliances, Portland Cement Association, Benjamin Moore® Paints, EPA/Energy Star, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Band Inc., Global Green, James G. Davis Construction Corporation, The American Institute of Architects, National Association of Home Builders, Smith & Fong Plyboo®, U.S. Green Building Council, 3form Inc., Andersen Corporation, Brighton Cabinetry, Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co., Hardwood Manufacturers Association, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC MBCI, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, and The Tower Companies. Dwell is the exclusive media partner.

The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and planning. Chartered by Congress in 1980 and open to the public since 1985, the Museum has become a vital forum for exchanging ideas and information about the built environment through its exhibitions, education programs, and publications. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. Museum Shop. Café. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org.