California Center for Sustainable Energy

Michelle Kaufmann says it should be easy to go green

Internationally renowned architect Michelle Kaufmann, noted for designing innovative green homes, will present a noontime seminar titled “Simplicity” from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., on Wednesday, June 1, at CCSE. She will discuss how simplicity in design and construction is a core component in creating more sustainable homes and communities.

Kaufmann has been called “the Henry Ford of green homes” by the Sierra Club and was named “2009 Green Advocate of the Year” by the National Association of Home Builders. With her firm, Michelle Kaufmann Studio in Oakland, Calif., she specializes in sustainable lifestyle design including single-family homes, eco-luxury resorts and multifamily communities.

“Everyone knows that you can’t always get what you want, but if you’re trying to live a more sustainable life, well, then why shouldn’t you get what you want?” Kaufmann said. “It should be easy to go green. No one should ever feel like it’s too expensive, too complicated or just too difficult.”

Kaufmann is an advocate for making sustainable home design more accessible. Her work has led the movement of prefabricated green homes, and her book, Prefab Green, describes off-site construction and the green design principles of Kaufmann-designed homes. She prescribes to five basic principles of for sustainable building: smart design, use of eco-materials, energy efficiency, water conservation and healthy environment.

Working to help extend education and awareness about the beauty of sustainable design, Kaufmann has had a number of her homes showcased in museums. A full-size replica of her home, called the Glidehouse®, was built at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., as part of the exhibit The Green House, and the fully-functioning three-story exhibit Smart Home: Green + Wired is on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Her work has also been on display at the Museum of Modern Art in Los Angeles, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Vancouver Art Center.

Kaufmann has been featured on the Sundance channel, HGTV, Discovery, Planet Green and in numerous magazines including Town & Country, Dwell, Sunset, Time and the Smithsonian.

To register for the presentation, click here.

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