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"Kindred Spirit" honors architect of Habitat solar homes

Cynthia Cotˆ©, Community Arts Center director, admires works by the late architect Skip Kindred and his grandchildren now on display in the center’Äôs Kerredge Gallery. Above is an architectural rendering of a commercial building designed by Skip Kindred, and below, center, are two of his color pencil drawings. On the left is a drawing of his granddaughter Karen Oppliger (daughter of Doug and Shawn Oppliger of Hancock) at age 5, while Karen’Äôs self-portrait, done recently at age 9, is at the right. A reception for the exhibit, which continues through November 25, will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m on Tuesday, November 21, in the Arts Center in Hancock.

HANCOCK ’Äì "The Kindred Spirit," an exhibit of the art and architecture of the late Garfield F.(Skip) Kindred, is on display in the Kerredge Gallery at the Community Arts Center in Hancock through November 25. Kindred’Äôs 40-year career as an architect began in his birthplace ’Äì Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada ’Äì and ended here in the Copper Country with his death last June. His projects ranged from designing the world’Äôs first mega mall to passive solar homes for Copper Country Habitat for Humanity.

"Skip’Äôs thoughtful celebration of life and devotion to creating satisfying, energy-efficient homes and commercial, civic and industrial spaces is evidenced in the drawings and photographs of his work," said his wife Merle Niemi Kindred. "His creativity and connectivity with life was enhanced by his deep involvement with his children and grandchildren; therefore, the exhibit is a merry mixture of Skip’Äôs work and the artwork of his grandkids."

A reception for the exhibit will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21, at the Community Arts Center. Members of the extended Kindred family will be present to share the commemoration of Skip’Äôs work with the community. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Skip Kindred designed both his own family home in Hancock and the Habitat for Humanity home of the Brenda and Kelly Maki family in South Range. Kelly Maki and his son Tommy, 7, were killed in an auto accident on September 16, 2000. Brenda and her surviving children ’Äì Samantha, 8, and Kenny, 5 ’Äì are still in need of contributions to help them with mortgage payments on this special solar home, which Kelly and Brenda helped build, according to the Habitat for Humanity requirement that homeowners contribute time and effort to building their homes. Financial contributions can be made c/o the Maki Mortgage Fund, Box 233, South Range, MI 49963.

In memory of her husband Skip and Kelly and Tommy Maki, Merle Niemi Kindred organized the Third Annual Keweenaw Solar Home Tour on October 14, 2000. The tour included the Kindred and Maki homes ’Äì which employ Skip Kindred’Äôs design of passive solar, super-insulated strategies ’Äì and Terry Kinzel and Sue Ellen Kingsley’Äôs home at Churning Rapids, north of Hancock, which also uses photovoltaics and hydroelectric power.

Merle Kindred describes these homes in her guide for the tour, which was sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) as part of their National Tour of Solar Homes conducted in October by 800 homeowners in 42 states and 175 communities. ASES promotes information about solar power and energy-efficient technology for residential and commercial use.

The Kindred home in Hancock is nationally famous for its energy-efficient, passive solar design. The home, designed by the late architect Skip Kindred, was featured in the Third Annual Keweenaw Solar Home Tour in October, arranged by Skip’Äôs wife Merle Niemi Kindred and sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) as part of their National Tour of Solar Homes.  (Photo courtesy Merle Niemi Kindred.)

The Kindred house is situated in a wooded, platted subdivision of Hancock. Merle says adequate southern exposure and deciduous trees were a prime consideration in selecting the site for the building, whose footprint is relatively small ’Äì 24 feet by 40 feet, or 960 square feet. Total living space of the two-level house is 1,920 square feet, plus an attached two-car garage. The upper level serves as living quarters, while the lower level includes two studios, a full bathroom, the mechanical room, a guest room and a sauna. Trees 15 feet beyond the footprint are left standing for shading the home.

Merle said her energy-efficient home "would not have been the success it is without the input and hard labor of the builder, Dave Bach. Dave has been building energy-efficient homes and additions for nearly 20 years and is a founding member of Copper Country Habitat for Humanity, where he and his chief carpenter, Chuck Harris, have been designing and building energy-efficient homes since the mid-90s. Dave was intrigued by Skip’Äôs knowledge of passive solar design strategies as applied to the north country. Skip was grateful for Dave’Äôs experience with building in the Copper Country.

Bach, of Houghton, said passive solar energy means utilizing the sun’Äôs energy without fans, thermostats or other mechanical devices.

"In our climate," he said, "the amount of window glass facing south should equal eight to ten percent of the total floor area. This will produce one third of the energy needed to heat the house."

In addition to the solar gain, Bach added, even more energy conservation comes from thick insulation in the right places, airtight construction and whole-house ventilation with heat recovery. The warm, stale, outgoing air pre-heats the fresh air coming into the house, he explained. The natural gas hot-water heater not only heats water for bathing and doing dishes, but it heats the house since the hot water is pumped through a baseboard heating system.

The South Range home of Brenda Maki and her late husband Kelly Maki, built by Habitat for Humanity, also uses the passive solar, super-insulated design created by Skip Kindred for energy efficiency. Tragically, Kelly Maki and his son Tommy, 7, were killed in an auto accident on September 16, 2000. Brenda and her surviving children ’Äì Samantha, 8, and Kenny, 5 ’Äì are still in need of contributions for help with mortgage payments. Financial contributions can be made c/o the Maki Mortgage Fund, Box 233, South Range, MI 49963.  (Photo courtesy Merle Niemi Kindred.)

Along with one other Copper Country Habitat home built this year ’Äì the Mazurowski home in Calumet's Raymboultown ’Äì the Maki home received a Five Star Home Grant from the State of Michigan for energy-efficient design. Part of the grant is being used for a video and a workbook on the design and construction strategies used in these two houses and in the Mikkola and Autio houses built by Habitat in 1999. Bach noted the video would be given to other Habitat groups so they can use some of the techniques in their home-building programs.

Skip Kindred’Äôs design of the new community building for Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly, is part of "The Kindred Spirit" exhibit at the Community Arts Center. Below the design, at left, is a drawing by one of Skip’Äôs grandchildren, and, at center and right, two of Skip’Äôs color pencil drawings.

Harris and Bach, along with local volunteers and some paid contractors, are now working to make the new Little Brothers building energy-efficient. Had he lived, Skip Kindred would have been the architect for the building. His design for it is displayed at "The Kindred Spirit" exhibit.

Dave Bach of Houghton, left, and Chuck Harris of Hancock remove old roofing from the future Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly, community building in Hancock (photo taken in late October, 2000). The roof has now been replaced with a new, trussed roof, designed to handle Copper Country weather. Bach and Harris attribute the original design of the building to the late architect Skip Kindred. Builder Bach and carpenter Harris have worked together on Habitat for Humanity houses that use Kindred’Äôs passive solar design and heat recovery ventilation.

Bach noted that although the building presents "other challenges" as a commercial building, it will have a heat recovery ventilation system similar to the one used in the Kindred and Habitat homes; efficient lighting systems; and well insulated walls, ceiling and windows. Local businesses and organizations are contributing materials and equipment for the building, Bach added.

Click here for guest columnist Chuck Harris’Äôs Tribute to Skip Kindred.

- Michele Anderson
November 20, 2000