Back when most people had barely heard of a Prius or LEED certification, 300 builders and product designers committed to sustainable design gathered at a small convention called Greenbuild. Now it is one of the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to “green building” and holds its fifteenth annual conference and trade show this week at the LA Convention Center. DnA's Frances Anderton went there to check out an energy-saving "home of the future," designed by KB Home, one of the biggest builders of suburban single-family homes. Such homes have long been considered part of an unsustainable lifestyle, but KB Home's concept - tied to the “Internet of things,” in which the lighting, temperature and even the refrigerator can be accessed and controlled remotely - suggests that millennial homebuyers expect their homes to function more like smartphones.
Photo: The KB Home ProjeKt on display at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Los Angeles (Frances Anderton)