About 30 results
With a compact design, wrap-around shade and vertical siding, the design is a bit reminiscent of Michelle Kaufmann's MkLotus house. While designing the home, the student design/build team kept a small
The team took inspiration for its design from the arts and crafts-style homes found throughout the center-city neighborhoods of Norfolk, Virginia. Craftsman style lines, windows and decor put this home in
Inspired by Paul Rudolph's Cocoon House, the perFORM[D]ance home is an expansive, single-story layout with wall-to-ceiling windows that add light and open space into the design. The windows not only
TRTL is a semi-rounded house, which takes inspiration from the tipi's open floorplan. Unlike most Solar Decathlon houses, TRTL is actually a two bedroom home designed specifically for a family and an
The home has a traditional gabled roof - a common architectural feature in New England - allowing Self-Reliance to blend in with any neighborhood in the region. Flanking each side of the roof, at an
The home is constructed of fiber cement and wood-clad windows. Since the passive windows and walls are built to collect, store, and distribute solar heat in the winter and reject it in the summer
The most cost-effective feature of the home are the thin film photovoltaics that sit atop the roof. Locally manufactured in Ohio, the thin panels cost nearly 70% less than typical solar arrays. Triple
The Y Container allows residents to live just about anywhere freely, with self sufficient off-grid energy sources and a lightweight mobile design. The home has three verandas that face the surrounding
The Solar Homestead is comprised of a main area, with six outbuilding modules that fit together to create a harmonious living space. They meet to form the Great Porch, a centrally focused outdoor living
It's no surprise that the country that has kicked butt at the Solar Decathlon competition (to produce energy positive solar houses) year after year is the home to such a productive energy-efficient
MIT researchers, in collaboration with China’s Tsinghua University, have recently created a new set of tools to evaluate the energy performance of large-scale development projects. The tools are a
Since Egypt is a country known for not only its hot sun, but its architectural tradition, the students wanted to design a modernized home that echoed the past. The students compare the structural design
Although the home is made to sit comfortably on the beach, a parking lot will have to suffice for now. Two of the home's most striking features are its materials and its size. The concrete slabs hold all
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
Construction on the prefab home for the competition began earlier this year in New York and will make its way down to the capital in September for the competition. In preparation of the solar home's final
The high-tech shelter is designed to provide a sustainable source of vital resources on-site. Four hydraulic legs quickly stabilize the structure on rugged terrain, and an outer wall rises to create a
Hale Pilihonua, which translates to the “home that is one with the land,” was designed using a holistic approach that functions in harmony with naturally available resources. The tubular home is
After winning the 2007 US Solar Decathlon, and placing second in the world, the University of Maryland team is well poised for this year's intercollegiate competition. Their solar-powered house, called
The roof-integrated photovoltaic panels will provide 7.8kW of energy. The CHIP team will slant the roof to achieve optimum solar exposure 365 days a year such that the home will have net-zero energy
Combining conservation measures and state-of-the-art technology, the team has developed a home that will be comfortable any time of year. With sliding glass panels and passive design elements that
Sponsored by Meridian Energy, the FirstLight House is named so because New Zealand is the first country to start the new day. Characterized by its use of locally sourced wood, daylighting, and a direct
Photo credit: Keith Carlsen Each spring, Hank Louis takes a team of 22 University of Utah architecture grad students down to Bluff, Utah, where they live for the semester to build a home for someone on
The Pod house is a cumulative effort between OSU’s engineering and architecture students, who coordinated with volunteers and school faculty to explore the feasibility of green design. The home is now
Although the University of Maryland may have a home court advantage for the upcoming competition, now set to take place at West Potomac Park, we're not going to hold it against them. The small home is
The Solar Decathlon, a rigorous, annual competition where students design and build green, solar-powered homes is now back in Washington...but not in its original, prominent location. Many were outraged
When the U.S Department of the Interior announced its decision to kick this year's Solar Decathlon off of the National Mall in January 2011, we doubt they expected such an uproar. One of the competing
While the basic concept of the home remains intact from their first design incarnation, CH:IP has evolved into a more sophisticated net zero project. The home is designed for residents who live in the
They say that imitation is one of the best forms of flattery, so it is exciting to hear that China will hold its own Solar Decathlon competition in 2013. The Chinese event was announced last week after
Japan just unveiled the future of emergency housing in the form of the Emergency Disaster Vehicle, or EDV-01. The innovative design is fully-automated, capable of automatically doubling its size, and can
After an 8 year relationship between the D.C. Mall and the Solar Decathlon competition, (a competition that challenges university teams to design and build awesome solar-powered homes) the National Park
