The U.S. Green Building Council

Building Industry Association of Southern California, Inc. (BIASC) members, KTGY Architecture + Planning, Whirlpool Corporation, and KB Home, along with project partners, Builder Magazine, Cradle To Cradle Products Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech Center for Design Research School of Architecture + Design, SoCalGas, SunPower, and a range of additional partners and sponsors, have debuted their latest product of their 20-year relationship at The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Los Angeles Oct. 5-6.

The KB Home ProjeKt is a next-generation idea and learning program that aims to discover how to build better homes and neighborhoods for the future, showcasing concepts of modern housing in 2020 and 2050. While the latter date anticipates the future of sustainable living through futuristic concepts, the 2020 model contains some of the most innovative and sustainable appliances available today.

“Whirlpool Corporation is proud to be part of the effort to make high-performance, sustainable and efficiently operating homes,” said Bob Bergeth, general manager of Contract Builder Sales at Whirlpool Corporation in a press release. “Together with our partners, we are exploring how to create homes that are on the leading edge of sustainability, while also ensuring they remain affordable.”

Research and case studies were used in the collaborative effort to create an innovative environment with strong consumer appeal. The ProjeKt attempts to marry creative and sustainable design to help them innovate towards the future.

The ProjeKt is based on research and experience showing that innovation created in a collaborative environment is much more likely to produce new products with strong consumer appeal. In fact, a 2015 Nielsen Collaboration and Innovation Study examining consumer product development found that “ideas developed by teams of three or more people have 156% greater appeal with consumers” and develop much farther from the originating concept than products driven by teams of just one or two people.

“A critical aspect of the design and production of this home is creating a model that is sustainable and affordable,” said Manny Gonzalez, principal at KTGY, who was quoted in a Builder Magazine article. “Green living is often associated with privileged buyers with a higher income stream. We are working with manufacturers and KB Home to change the dynamic.”

The display at the 2016 Greenbuild Show and Expo included assemblies and systems, home tours for expo attendees, interactive educational features, and a digital wall display.