By Melissa McGuire
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mary Richardson Kennedy have built a reputation as environmental leaders. They can now add green-building pioneers to their list of crowning achievements.

After a flood destroyed most of their Westchester County, N.Y., family home, which later became ravaged from black mold, the Kennedys were left with a heartbreaking choice -- move from the area in which they’d lived for years or figure a way to restore and rebuild. They chose the latter with the intent of transforming it from a “sick home” into an “eco-healthy home.”

Tackling the arduous project of restoration head-on, the 1920s home became an extension of the Kennedys’ personal environmental beliefs. The Kennedy Green House showcases the latest in green technologies, sustainable building practices and healthy home initiatives. The Kennedys, along with a team of advisors including eco-friendly designing guru Robin Wilson, succeeded in building a LEED-certified, state-of-the-art home with the goal of becoming the new model for green building and healthy homes nationwide. “We have worked very hard to pull together the interior design elements and have searched for the best eco-friendly materials and products,” Wilson said.

With a groundbreaking date of late November 2009, Green Operations magazine, working with Mohawk Industries, the exclusive flooring supplier for the project, obtained an exclusive tour of the family home to survey the greening process and transformation into what has been dubbed a “standard-setter in eco-efficient design, decoration and practice.”

As one could expect, the challenge proved to be easier in conceptualization than execution. The area’s stringent rules regarding building and remodeling required 51% of the Kennedy home to remain intact, which created possibly the largest of the many tribulations the family would face. To comply with regulations, the home was hoisted into the air to allow the first floor to become the recreated main floor. What eventually became the third floor was completely refurbished, resulting in a three-story residence touting a final 8,600 square feet.

RECLAMATION

With recycling, refurbishing and utilizing the local community as the predominant focus of the project, Richardson and Wilson continued the theme of combining the old and new in all aspects of the home. The main floor flaunts antique, family furniture along with newly constructed cabinets created by local artisans. “We wanted to bring the old and new together,” Wilson said. “Saving things from going into the landfill was also extremely important.”

Various hardware pieces and doors on the main floor along with the entire slate roof were reclaimed from Willowbrook State Hospital, a mental institution built in the 1930s that eventually closed due to a public outcry of the deplorable conditions. “We’ve reclaimed, reused and renewed in this house,” Wilson said.

ECO-FRIENDLY FLOORING

While the first and third floors were completely recreated, the main floor of the house still has remnants of the original structure. Mold from the original plank flooring in the foyer was cut off and the remaining wood was cut into parquets and installed in a unique, geometric pattern. The living room flooring — inlaid patterns of contrasting dark and light wood — was reclaimed from old barns in Maryland. Flooring from the upper floor in the original house was refurbished and installed in the staff office.

Platinum sponsors Mohawk and Dal-Tile, and the Mohawk-owned Karastan, provided the flooring for the reconstructed areas of the home. "We began working with Robin's team on the Kennedy Green House project in early 2008,” said Jenny Cross, global sustainability director, Mohawk. “Between managing the LEED certification process and making sure that the choices fit the unique needs of the family, this was a very ambitious undertaking for the design team. Initially the designers were simply looking for an eco-friendly wood to go into the bedrooms of the home, but we knew we could contribute more to the project. Because of Mohawk's diverse portfolio of brands and sustainable products within those brands, we were able to provide a more complete, green flooring solution for their home than they had anticipated. This demonstrates that green design can be great design."

Mohawk engineered hardwood flooring with PureBond was installed in each bedroom — specifically, 5-inch-wide planks in walnut. “We first looked for something that would meet the design need,” Cross said. “Walnut is a hot property right now. But this product is also Floorscore certified for low VOC emissions as a result of the PureBond technology, which adds no formaldehyde in the process.”

Much of the hardwood floors throughout the house are covered with Karastan carpet bound into rugs and runners. Featured styles include Bonaire II, Heather Glenn, Corvera, Bergeron and Windowpane -- all constructed of New Zealand wool. “Wool being renewable and natural was something Mary was very keen on,” Cross said. “In addition, the family is highly sensitive to allergens and mold, so as we looked at the products going in, we were particularly aware of the health aspect as well as the green aspect.” Woven carpets have the lowest, if any, VOC emissions. “I see this green movement moving toward a healthy home, and this was a good example of that.”

Mohawk is also represented in each of the home’s seven bathrooms through its Daltile brand. Five bathrooms feature Rittenhouse Square 3 x 6 arctic white subway tile. One bathroom features Glass Reflections 41/4 x 81/2 field tile in white ice, while the powder room features Glass Reflections white and blue 3 x 6 subway tile. “The green attributes of the tile include lifecycle and indoor air quality,” Cross said. “We also looked to minimize waste and transportation.”