The overall Solar Decathlon winner—LISI House, by Team Austria of Vienna University of Technology—combines passive energy strategies with design elements, like the automated shading system consisting of white, die-cut drapery that encircles the home, casting a leaflike shadow into the living area. PATRICIA KIRK JOHN CONNELL © Solar When international teams of univer- sity students recently constructed a solar village, their creations predictably revealed innovative approaches to designing extremely Decathlon high-performance homes. But the dwell- ings that the teams crafted also reflect and support the lifestyle, values—and financial University-led teams means—of their generation Y creators. create a cutting-edge The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon was held October 3 to 13 at solar village in Orange Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Cali- fornia—the first time the biennial event County, California. was held outside the nation’s capital—and attracted nearly 64,000 visitors, according to an estimate by the city of Irvine. The Solar 2013 Decathlon franchise is expanding, with a version having been held in Datong, China, in August 2013, and Solar Decathlon Europe NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 URBAN LAND 81 scheduled for June 27 through July 14, 2014, Phyllis Alzamora, executive director of homebuilder, noted that “every one [of the in Versailles, France. ULI’s Orange County–Inland Empire District projects] celebrates the indoor-outdoor con- The competition includes ten juried or Council, said the event was a “wonderful nection.” The floor plans are flexible, adjust- measured contests, with up to 100 points learning laboratory” for sustainable solutions. able, and open, maximizing use of space by awarded for each category. The catego- The teams applied a holistic methodology combining kitchen, dining room, and living ries include architecture, market appeal, to achieve cutting-edge, sustainable designs room into one large, open living area, he engineering, communications, affordabil- that integrate energy solutions with attractive noted. Living areas open onto large outdoor ity, comfort zone, hot water, appliances, design elements to create flexible, functional spaces, connecting occupants with nature home entertainment, and energy balance. living spaces that support a relaxed, infor- and expanding living space to accommodate The Solar Decathlon overall winner is the mal, healthy lifestyle. entertaining. Atella is vice chair of the ULI project that accumulates the highest score Jacob Atella, senior director of sustain- Orange County–Inland Empire Sustainable across the ten contests. ability for KB Home, a Los Angeles–based Communities Initiative Council. JOHN CONNELL © ©JOHN CONNELL Top left: The University of West Virginia team created a living wall and greenhouse on the sunny side of PEAK that collects heat from the sun and releases it into the living area when the interior greenhouse doors are opened. Top right: Third-place decathlon winner—AIR House, by the Czech Technical University team—has a passive solar canopy consisting of wood slats that cover the entire building and southern-facing wall and help eliminate the need for air conditioning. JOHN CONNELL © Above: Team Texas, a collaboration of the University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Community College, designed the ADAPT house for environmentally conscious urban dwellers. It has adaptable flex spaces and a modular structure ideal for placement in an existing urban neighborhood. Right: DALE, a collaboration of the Southern California Institute of Architecture and California Institute of Technology, can triple its size at the push of a button. JOHN CONNELL © 82 URBAN LAND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 The interior of LISI (Living Inspired by reason there seems to be resistance in the Sustainable Innovation) House by Team Aus- marketplace to apply them to capture natu- tria of Vienna University of Technology—this ral capital,” Schweitzer said. year’s overall winner—measures only about The fluxHome design by the University 700 square feet (65 sq m), but it lives larger of Southern California (USC), for example, with an open floor plan and plenty of stor- takes advantage of southern California’s cli- age integrated into walls. The interior wood mate, said USC team member Evyn Larson, floors continue outside, creating decks on with openings situated to capture passive both sides of the house to expand the living ventilation from the southwestern breeze. area. During the summer, double-paned, “The skylight acts as a solar chimney, allow- floor-to-ceiling glass doors can disappear ing hot air to rise out of the house,” she into walls, fusing the interior living area with said, noting that the skylight’s optical shade the outdoors. senses weather conditions, opening when JOHN CONNELL To achieve the goal of creating homes it’s hot and closing when it rains. © that produce as much energy as they use, Team Capitol D.C., a collaboration of Above: DesertSol, by the University of Nevada at Las the 19 multidisciplinary university-led teams the Catholic University of America, George Vegas team, used a variety of passive energy strategies, including this metal solar screen, which was rusted to match from four nations—the United States, Washington University, and American Uni- the home’s weathered facade. It doubles as an artwork, Canada, Austria, and the Czech Republic— versity, used Flexinol wire louvers to shade embedded with the shadow of a mesquite tree. collaborated to design residences that use a windows on the southern exposure of its mix of passive and active energy solutions to HARVEST HOME entry to prevent solar heat achieve net-zero energy efficiency—consum- gain. Flexinol wire contracts when heated ing no more, and preferably less, energy than by outdoor ambient air, causing the louvers they produce. to close. JOHN CONNELL © Above: The fluxHome, by the University of Southern California team, positions windows and doors to catch southern California’s southwest breeze. A large, centrally placed skylight acts as a solar chimney. JOHN CONNELL © Left: The Middlebury College team created a shaded walkway using photovoltaic Passive energy solutions are of Atella cited the DALE (Dynamic Aug- panels at Insite House, instead of putting great interest to Judi Schweitzer, prin- mented Living Environment) entry, a col- them on the roof. Because Middlebury lacks graduate engineering and architecture cipal and chief sustainability adviser at laboration of the Southern California Institute schools, this team—a collection of students Schweitzer+Associates, a sustainable real of Architecture and California Institute of from 25 disciplines—obtained information to estate consultancy based in Lake Forest, Technology, as a project that pushes the build this house from the internet. California. After touring the exhibits, she envelope in terms of flexibility. The project noted, “These kinds of solutions tap into consists of two modular sections mounted nature’s income”—taking advantage of what on rails. At the push of a button, the two the climate offers. “Builders have known modular sections slide apart to create an for years how to use passive strategies to outdoor living space—tripling the size of the improve energy efficiency, but for some living area from 600 to 1,800 square feet (56 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 URBAN LAND 83 to 167 sq m). Thirty-two photovoltaic (PV) energy design element for the Appalachian high-efficiency, air-water heat pumps supply panels slide overhead to provide shade. mountain region’s climate. A living wall and the system with cold and hot water for heat- This project also has interior walls that can greenhouse located on the sunny side of ing and cooling, as well as provide hot water be moved back and forth to increase the size the house collect heat from the sun and for domestic use. The ventilation system in of bedrooms or the living room, depending release it into the living area when the inte- the floor heats and cools the living area. Cold on which space is in use. Another example rior greenhouse doors open. water is pumped into pipes in the floor and as of adjustable design elements is displayed in She also praised the passive solar design air flows past them it cools the room. In addi- the UrbanEden entry by the University of North in Team Austria’s LISI House, which includes tion, the energy-recovery ventilation unit acts Carolina at Charlotte, in which the entertain- an automated shading system consisting of as a heat and humidity exchanger between ment center transforms into a Murphy bed. white drapery, die-cut with a design inspired exhaust and fresh air, keeping living spaces Schweitzer said she was especially by military camouflage fabric, that casts a leaf- comfortable and healthy. impressed by passive energy solutions that like shadow into the living area. This curtain Atella noted that this type of system is also are used as design elements. Middle- wraps around the perimeter of the building like superior because it gradually changes room bury College, for instance, created a walkway a cocoon, shading the structure and lending it temperature and maintains a constant level shaded by the InSite house’s solar panels, an elegant appearance. The curtain opens and of comfort, rather than the intermittent warm- instead of using the panels as part of a tradi- closes with the push of a button to let in the ing or cooling inherent in conventional sys- tional rooftop array. sun’s warmth in winter and provide shade in tems, which create hot and cold spots. The University of Nevada at Las Vegas cre- summer, and offers privacy for occupants. Czech Technical University’s AIR (afford- ated a digitally fabricated, retractable solar While the building’s technology is essential able, innovative, recyclable) House—which screen to shield the hottest side of the Des- to the home’s capacity to produce a surplus placed third in the competition—features a ertSol house—the competition’s second-place of energy, Gregor Pils, the project manager for passive solar canopy that shades the structure winner—in summer and capture the sun’s Team Austria, pointed out that the LISI House while producing energy.