This weekend was the last in this years 2013 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon which took place for the first time in Irvine, CA. It occurs every 2 years in the States and has only been held in Washington, D.C. since 2002. There are actually 3 Solar Decathalon events worldwide which also include SD Europe and SD China.
"The Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive."
-US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Visitors Guide 2013
Team Austria won and UNLV got 2nd place. It was discovered through asking questions each home cost between $200,000.00-$350,000.00 for the maximum allotted square footage of 1,000 sq. ft.
One of my favorites was Washington, D.C. who ironically never participated when the Decathlon was in the Capital.
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| Team DC. Exterior- stained reclaimed wood |
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Fixed outdoor table with water feature to capture rain run-off.
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| Tour guide describing interior louvres that open and close automatically based on interior & exterior temperatures. |
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| Exterior- Team North Carolina |
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| Exterior- Team Stevens Institute of Technology |
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| Exterior- Team U of L & Indiana- Butler |
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| Exterior- Czech Republic, placed 3rd! |
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| Interior- Team Alberta |
Living walls, water collection/efficiency, reclaimed materials and of course, solar panels both on the house and constructed as part of walk ways were all present. The living wall was a well repeated popular feature for most houses.
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| Exterior- Team UNLV took a different approach for a desert retreat. They used steel and reclaimed weathered barn wood. This home was designed very well for the exterior and interior with great use of materials. However, a desert retreat to the Mojave seemed nice but maybe not so popular. |
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| Perforated dye cut steel providing shade (worked quite well) with visual interest. |
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| UNLV 'DesertSOL' exterior with steel clad framed windows & drought tolerant native plants. |
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| Reused shipping pallet wood used for interior flooring. |
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| Solar Decathlon in Irvine. 'Village Powered By The SUN' |
I first saw a televised segment about this event held in D.C. a couple of years ago and thought to myself that I'd probably not get a chance to take a look anytime soon. So glad the event came to Irvine shortly thereafter. An event not to be missed! Looking forward to the implementation of these ideas for new construction!
