This November 7-9, Chicago will host the largest GreenBuild Expo in history. Put on by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council), this year over 18,000 attendees will gather to learn about the trends in green construction and get inspired about future projects. In a city aiming to be the greenest, this is a monumental event. On top of it all, GreenBuild will be held in one of Chicago’s LEED certified facilities, the McCormick Place West Building.

According to the USGBC, "Chicago mayor Richard Daley has pledged to make Chicago the most environmentally friendly city in the world. Building on its legacy as a center of American architecture, Chicago was one of the first cities to adopt LEED. Today it has the most LEED projects of any city in the world."

Included in the Expo is an international conference with headlining speakers such as Paul Hawken (author), Sadhu Johnston (Chicago Commissioner of the Department of Environment),  Thom Mayne (Founder and Principal of Morphosis), Maria Atkinson (Global Head of Sustainability at Lend Lease), and former US President Bill Clinton. USGBC President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi on is especially excited about Clinton’s planned appearance:

"This is an unprecedented opportunity for our green building community to hear from one of the greatest philanthropic and environmental leaders of this century. The William J. Clinton Foundation is facilitating a series of global action plans that are addressing some of the most intractable problems of our times — AIDS, economic sustainability as a way to eradicate poverty, the elimination of childhood obesity. His framework has shown the power that groups of individuals have to effect real change."

"Reducing the C02 emissions that lead to climate change is another key area of focus, and it’s being addressed by the Clinton Climate Initiative, with green building as a cornerstone of that effort,” Fedrizzi noted. “We are making a difference, and President Clinton’s unique ability to inspire individual action will add incredible momentum to this important work."

The event has a full schedule of networking and educational opportunities. Whether you are a homeowner, a builder, designer, architect, engineer, and, heck, even a programmer or a banker, there is something applicable to everyone’s life. With over 850 exhibit booths displaying the newest products and technologies, the expo itself will be an educational and eye opening experience. If you leave thinking, "I still can’t do it," then you didn’t pick up enough tools while in attendance.

Prefabrication and Modularity are new eco buzzwords on the menu this year. From homes to furniture, designers are beginning to employ new methods of construction and transportation to cut waste and energy consumption, ensure safety, and achieve greater overall methods of sustainability. When we hear the term “modular prefabricated homes,” we probably think of a little trailer down by the river. This is hardly the case with the modern rise of Steve Glenn’s LivingHomes. When you think of modular furniture, it doesn’t seem very sturdy, huh? But in fact, many of us have all used it- you buy a put-it-together-yourself desk, bring it home in a flat box, and construct it in the intended room. Just think about how many more desks can be shipped in one truckload in their deconstructed, flat form. Lots more! This cuts shipping costs, emissions, total embodied energy…

Prefab homes are constructed in a similar way, just on a larger scale. LivingHomes is a new cutting edge modern ecolicious house in Santa Monica, CA. The first model is Platinum LEED certified by the USGBC. Exquisitely designed by two renowned architects (Ray Kappe and David Hertz), LivingHomes has a portfolio of designs that their customers can choose from. The premise of the prefab/modular home is quite similar to that of a Rubik’s cube. In other words, as long it maintains a similar shape and structure, the rooms within a design can be shuffled around. The home is first constructed in a factory, then carted off to the construction site and put together in modules. The modules were completed in less than 6 months. On site construction of the first LivingHomes took under 12 hours.

Why choose prefab? Here is the skinny on the prefab eco accomplishments. Since the modules are constructed in a factory, a higher quality construction can be ensured than on site stick-built homes. The fasteners are accurately applied, materials are cut with more exactness, and since they have to withstand transport, everything is tighter and more secure. This extends the lifespan and cuts the upkeep. Modular prefabrication also saves significant amounts on their waste. While 30-40% of the material from a standard home construction site is carted off to the dump, modular homes generate only about 2% waste. That is a pretty large gap. Additionally, since the duration of construction is shorter, the cost is lower!

In terms of furniture, the complete cycle of Ecosystems Furniture resembles a quite responsible cradle to cradle method. The deconstructed components are intended to be flat and standard; therefore, the design can be sent to a computer and cut in masses at regional locations, packed flat, and shipped to more local distribution areas. The pieces are then purchased and assembled on site.

New trends on the horizon: Constructing a home in a warm climate is different from home construction in the variant climate of Michigan. Some are figuring out how to prefabricate well-insulated, secure, efficient, sustainable, and beautiful homes, even in the northern states. Challenging conventional construction techniques, a young architecture group called HueProjects in the greater Detroit area just completed a beautiful prefab home for five in the a Detroit Suburb. As the trend grows, progressive universities and community colleges are developing programs in prefabrication. Up north, prefab allows builders to construct homes year round, even in the blustery months of January and February. This concept improves efficiency and ability, meanwhile achieving all of the modular prefabrication benefits.