The Greenbuild KB Home ProjeKt set to be built on the floor of the 2016 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo will focus on the future of environmentally thoughtful home design. At the heart of this immersive experience is an expansive concept of unprecedented collaboration. This collaboration operates not only at the level of the supply chain partnership but also in the next-generation home that collaborates with the people who live in it and the environment for a level of performance and adaptability that defines the future of the American home.
KB Home has partnered with some of the premier experts and leaders in building science, technology, academia, information, and design to catapult Greenbuild participants through time to experience a home of 2020 and then even further into 2050. Utilizing collaboration as a new mode of development, this group of thought leaders has been able to leverage their collective vision and expertise into something greater than could have been conceived of by any individual organization. Utilizing a combination of social networking and technology tools, the group engaged in a creative collaboration that will provide Greenbuild participants with a clear vision for the potential future of home building.
The KB Home ProjeKt will collaborate with the environment by utilizing adaptive systems that respond to changing conditions and that minimize the home’s impact on the consumption of energy and natural resources. The net-zero energy technologies of the home will give back to the power grid, demonstrating not only the realities that are on the horizon in 2020, but imagining where those will lead in 2050. The house will also learn from its residents, utilizing smart technologies to adapt systems for higher performance and increased comfort and satisfaction. Visitors will walk away with concrete, actionable ideas for how to operate and innovate in a net-zero environment.
Jim Van Meer
Among the many innovations that the KB Home ProjeKt will include are building “cartridges” that are constructed offsite utilizing robotics and 3D printing technologies for maximum precision, quality, and efficiency. These cartridges will then be integrated into the onsite building envelope in a component-based, plug-and-play system that enhances the flexibility of the home. This means that the home can evolve with the changing needs of the people who live in it to meet every life phase or family type within each of these cartridge components. In addition, new technologies and products can easily be integrated into the home by modifying or replacing cartridges, which also extends the potential life of the home.
This collaboration with its users will provide a new paradigm that allows home design to seamlessly integrate evolving technologies without becoming obsolete or inefficient. The cartridges are the software of the house that changes over time, but the hardware of the building envelope remains stable and durable.
The Greenbuild KB Home ProjeKt will be showcased October 5 and 6 at the Greenbuild International Show and Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. To see what impact next-generation collaboration can have on the way we design, build, and live in our homes, sign up to take a tour.
