Illinois Gable House Takes 2nd Prize in Solar Decathlon
Posted By Bridgette Meinhold On October 16, 2009 @ 12:40 pm In Architecture,Solar Decathlon,Sustainable Building | No Comments
[4]
This morning the University of Illinois [5] took second place in the Solar Decathlon [6] with its gorgeous solar powered Gable House. The unique farmhouse-inspired home made an excellent showing at this year’s competition and was surpassed only at the last moment by Team Germany [7]. Weighing in at 897 points out of a total 1,000, the home took top honors in many of the individual categories and features a solar roof capable of generating four times the amount of energy it consumes.
The Gable House [5] makes a strong architectural statement with its familiar gable roof profile, proving that advanced technologies could indeed be incorporated into a more traditional looking home. Designed to meet Passive House [8] energy efficiency and environmental standards, this home utilizes many green building techniques and technologies to minimize energy [9] use inside the home.
12-inch thick high-performance insulation was incorporated into the walls, roof and floor of the home, while a high-efficiency small air-volume HVAC system meets the needs of the small house. LED lights and smaller, super efficient appliances were also used throughout the interior, cutting down on energy use. The south-facing roof is completely covered in solar panels [10] to create a 9.1 kW system capable of producing four times the energy the home needs.
The entire home is framed out of structural bamboo [11], which is 3/4″ in thickness and 10 times as strong as traditional wood framing. Thinner bamboo framing reduces thermal bridging, which helped the project achieve a high level of efficiency and insulation. The facade of the home is clad in 100 year old reclaimed barn wood [12] from a grain elevator, and a sliding shade structure helps protect the south facing windows from heat gain while echoing the traditional charm of a barn structure.
Illinois’ Gable House will be on permanent display later this year near the University, and the team is currently working with a modular home builder to bring many of these innovative strategies to the average consumer.
+ University of Illinois’ Gable House [5]
+ Solar Decathlon Standings & Scores [13]
+ Inhabitat Solar Decathlon Coverage [14]
+ Inhabitat Solar Decathlon Photo Gallery > [15]
Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com
URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/illinois-gable-house-is-solar-decathlon-runner-up/
URLs in this post:
[1] Tweet: http://twitter.com/share
[2] Share on Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/share
[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/illinois-gable-house-is-solar-decathlon-runner-up/
[4] Image: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/10/16/illinois-gable-house-is-solar-decathlon-runner-up/solar-decathlon-runner-up-illinois-3/
[5] University of Illinois: http://www.solardecathlon.uiuc.edu/
[6] Solar Decathlon: http://www.inhabitat.com/solar-decathlon/
[7] Team Germany: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/10/16/germanys-solar-coated-surplushome-wins-solar-decathlon/
[8] Passive House: http://www.passivehouse.us/
[9] energy: http://www.inhabitat.com/energy
[10] solar panels: http://inhabitat.com../solar-power/
[11] structural bamboo: http://www.lamboo.us/
[12] reclaimed barn wood: http://www.inhabitat.com/tag/reclaimed-wood/
[13] + Solar Decathlon Standings & Scores: http://www.solardecathlon.org/scoring/byschool.cfm?tid=119
[14] + Inhabitat Solar Decathlon Coverage: http://inhabitat.com../2009/10/14/solar-decathlon/
[15] + Inhabitat Solar Decathlon Photo Gallery >: http://www.flickr.com/photos/inhabitat/sets/72157622117669557/
Click here to print.