Cleveland Residence

Location
2013 N. Cleveland, Chicago Map

Owner
Private Residence

Architect
Elements Architectural Group
William Scholtens, Design Principal

The Cleveland Residence is a deconversion of an existing 5 dwelling unit building and coach house, both dating to 1876, into a single family home. Similar to the Orchard Residence, this is a luxury project that can afford some very sophisticated features, but is also fairly large (6,500 sf). Although we take some heat for covering these large projects, this one has two green elements working in its favor - it's an existing building, and it's on a double lot and is preserving a fair amount of open space. These projects also provide an opportunity for architects and engineers to experiment with new technologies that can't be applied on most market-rate homes.

The home is seeking Chicago Green Homes certification, starting with a variety of energy-efficiency strategies. The existing walls will be insulated with soy-based spray foam insulation, and a geothermal system will provide heating and cooling. As in many green homes, clerestory windows at the top of a central light and air shaft open to provide natural ventilation. Here, though, the windows will open and close automatically in response to a temperature sensor. Similarly, window shades will raise and lower automatically in response to daylight. These features and more will be controlled by a computer-based building automation system, typically only seen in commercial buildings.

The open side yard provides space for geothermal wells and stormwater management. A cistern underneath a newly-built garage will collect rainwater from the roofs for irrigation, while reclaimed pavers will be installed with spacing to allow rainwater that strikes the ground to infiltrate into the soil. Finally, domestic hot water is heated by rooftop solar panels.

Design is currently nearing completion - other project team members include MEP engineer Building Engineering Systems, energy consultant Informed Energy Decisions, envelope consultant Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger, roofing consultant Building Technology Associates, and structural engineer The Structural Shop.