Ghent University Students Develop DIY Zero Energy E-Cube Building Kit For Solar Decathlon

<a href="http://www.solardecathlon.ugent.be/en/about-e-cube" target="_blank">Team Belgium</a> is finalizing their <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/solar-decathlon">Solar Decathlon</a> entry for September's competition, and it's a DIY-er's dream come true. The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/prefab">prefab building system</a> is geared towards those who have the patience and skills to build their own home but want the ultimate in energy efficiency and solar power. Designed to Passive Haus standards by students at Ghent University, the cubic home is defined by four principles: modularity, affordability, flexibility, and efficiency.

The goal of the Ghent University students was to create a comfortable, solar-powered house with a lot of space on a small budget.

Simplicity is at the core of their design and the home is stripped of nonessential components and finishes, leaving its structure and façade exposed to the interior.

The home is totally <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/architecture/prefab-housing">prefabricated</a> into a kit of part and geared towards those who have the inclination to build the home themselves, but may not have the time to construct it from scratch.

The cubic, two story <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/solar-home">solar home</a> features two bedrooms upstairs and a living, dining and kitchen downstairs.

A standard pallet rack system is used to form the main structure using a bolt-less assembly process, which is then covered with a facade of fiber cement boards and window units all of the same size.

Inside, surfaces are left raw and unfinished to save on costs and the compact shape minimizes thermal energy loss through the building envelope and reduces necessary building materials.

Electrical, plumbing and utilities are all compactly contained in the utility technical box from which the rest of the house is easily hooked into.

A large solar system sits on the flat roof and the home is designed to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/passive-house">Passiv Haus standards</a> to reduce energy losses and energy use.

Passive solar gain strategies and phase-change materials will maximize the use of direct solar gains.

Assembly of the home is expected to take only a matter of days as opposed to more traditional home construction methods that would take weeks.

Rendering of the E-Cube on the Mall in Washington D.C.

Rendering of the master bedroom.

Rendering of the downstairs living, dining and kitchen rooms.