The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry recently opened a new “green” exhibit “. . . for guests to see the latest innovations in reusable resources, smart energy consumption, and clean, healthy living environments in a contemporary setting. Conceived by Michelle Kaufmann Designs, the country’s leading designer of sustainable, green homes, the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit celebrates exciting new directions in sustainable living and environmentally friendly technologies for the 21st century.”

The 2,500-square-foot mkSolaire home-located on a park on the east side of the museum – was constructed in two parts. The modular three-story house was built in a factory by All-American Homes of Middlebury, Indiana. After the pre-fabricated components were transported to the museum site, Norcon, Inc., the general contractor for the Smart Home, assembled the three levels with the use of a crane and then completed the interior work and exterior green landscaping.

The tile floors in the bathrooms were installed at the plant in Indiana using Mapelastic 315, Kerabond/Keralastic for setting and Opticolor for grouting. The Blazestone  2” x 2” wall tiles in the powder room on the first floor were made entirely from post-industrial and post-consumer glass, as were the Blazestone “Subway”  3.5” x 7.5” shower tiles in the master bath. The floor tiles in the master bath – from Terra Green Ceramics – were made with 55% recycled glass content and qualify for LEED certification points. The shower and floor tiles in the second bathroom were handmade from recycled glass, paper and low-carbon cement.

The Jurastone™ Beige limestone tiles used for the flooring throughout the ground level were set with the Kerabond/Keralastic mortar system to stand up to the heavy traffic from the thousands of visitors who tour the Smart Home. The tiles were grouted with #94 “Straw” Ultracolor grout.

On the second and third levels, the wood flooring was set with Ultrabond 990 premium solvent-free, one-component urethane wood-flooring adhesive. SYNERGY prefinished strand bamboo flooring from Teragren was used for the bedroom and hallways because bamboo is a highly renewable material. It grows quickly – more than 90 feet in just one year. Ultrabond 990 was chosen for this installation because the bamboo had to be bonded to the steel base of the pre-fabricated modules.

MAPEI is pleased and proud to be a part of this exhibit, which mirrors our company’s vision for sustainability and minimal environmental impact. - Diane Choate, MAPEI