That set the architect to thinking. He broke ground before the winter snows set in. It will serve as McDonough's home and architectural studio as well as his working laboratory for new housing technologies. And like the MIT proj-ect, McDonough has developed partnerships with product suppliers. Drawings of the e-House suggest an old red barn tweaked by a modernist.
Wings cantilever under stainless steel, zinc and copper roofing.
Native stone veneers anchor the house to the site. Upstairs, spaces are scooped out for a master bedroom and bath, plus two unassigned areas, which traditionalists might count as bedrooms. A balcony and roof deck lead to the outdoors. In the summer, windows will open and close automatically to maximize breeze and minimize humidity and temperature. Vacuums, energy recovery ventilators, dehumidifiers, and air intake and outflow management will be built into the baseboards and wall partitions.