For sale: Bronzeville gets its first green technology house  

By Lisa R. Jenkins 

Genesis Housing Development Corporation (GHDC), in partnership with the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture, has created Bronzeville's first “green technology” house.

            The two-story, 1,800 square foot prototype features three bedrooms and living space divided on either side of a central atrium that functions as a thermal collector and chimney. Heat collected from the atrium’s apex moves via ducts to an underslab rock storage bin, where it is stored for nighttime release in the winter. In summer, windows at the top of the atrium can be opened to allow collected heat to escape and induce a natural ventilation current. A retractable fabric curtain provides night insulation for the atrium’s large expanse of glazing and can be used for shading in the summer. Outside the house, a rock bed and garden add ambiance.

This unique house will be sold by lottery on Tuesday, Sept. 4. The base price is $300,000, but “the true value of this house alone is well over $500,000,” said Donnie Brown, GHDC executive director. Tours of the house will begin Wednesday, Aug. 15.

This type of house is designed to conserve energy by reducing heating and electricity use and cost.

“Buildings contribute to nearly half the nation's energy use,” noted Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance president and CEO Alecia Ward. “This is a model for the next generation to achieve energy efficiency by creating solutions that work in the real world.”

GHDC is a faith-based nonprofit organization incorporated to increase affordable housing and help low and moderate income people own their own dwellings. It is located in and primarily services the Bronzeville area. Call (773) 285-1685 or visit www.genesishdc.org or 3763 S. Wabash Ave. for more information.

Bronzeville's proximity to downtown and the lakefront has made it a magnet for new developments along with major rehabilitations of the area's historic graystones and mini-mansions.

Many changes can be made to new and existing housing to make it more eco-friendly. The Chicago Green Technology Center, located at 445 N. Sacremento Blvd., provides information on environmentally friendly designs and buildings. It also recommends adding solar panels to existing roofs, installing linoleum floors, using energy efficient light bulbs, and adding solar panels to window awnings as just a few steps anyone can take to reduce  energy usage significantly.

“We have a Green Building Resource Center which has green products and services which the general public can come in and touch and feel,” and Stephen Bell, center director.

            To learn more about green technology, log on to www.green-technology.org or call (773) 285-1685.