YANNELL HOUSE

THE JETSONS LAND IN CHICAGO

Our client wanted his new net-zero-energy home to deliver a message to people of means. Rather than focus on quantity by spending one’s wealth building an enormous energy-consuming home, one could choose to focus on quality, and spend less commissioning an architecturally-distinctive, right-sized, zero-energy home. In response, Farr Associates designed the first home in the Midwest with the rigorous goal of achieving Net Zero Energy—to produce more energy from renewables than it consumes from the grid over the course of a year.  

The house is designed to reduce energy use passively: south-facing glass maximizes solar gain during cold weather while long overhangs exclude heat during warm weather. The two east-west wings of the home form a sheltered courtyard.  Two types of solar panels capture energy: photovoltaic panels generate most of the home’s power needs, solar thermal panels supply heat for domestic water and radiant floors, and a geo-exchange system uses the soil under the house as a heat sink year-round, rejecting heat in summer and extracting it during the winter. Rainwater is harvested through the butterfly-shaped roof for all irrigation needs.  Despite having a roof designed explicitly to catch rain, the Illinois plumbing codes prohibited using rainwater indoors. As a creative  work-around, the home features the first residential greywater system in Chicago, reusing water from the washing machine for toilet flushing. 

The project’s design got an enthusiastic endorsement from Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin in the form of a full two-page spread titled Jetson Green explaining the home’s features. The project certified as LEED for Homes Platinum, with the then-highest number of LEED credits ever—115.5—making it the greenest home in America. 

Client: Michael Yannell

Location: Chicago, IL

Year: 2009

Certification: LEED for Homes Pilot - Platinum

Awards: 2009 AIA Illinois Sullivan Award