From the very beginning, the Empowerhouse was planned to be more than just an entry for the 2011 Solar Decathlon. Designed and built by a student group from Parsons The New School for Design , Stevens
Here at Inhabitat we're suckers for the Solar Decathlon -- the biennial design/build competition in which university design teams from all around the globe battle it out on the National Mall in Washington
If you're anything like us, you've been having Solar Decathlon withdrawal since the biennial design-build competition ended at the beginning of the month. We're still buzzing with excitement from the
The FLeX House is a carefully considered design for hot, humid climates that creates a comfortable, efficient interior environment through the use of photovoltaics, passive design, and shading techniques.
Tonji University is no stranger to the Decathlon -- their Bambu House turned a lot of heads last year in Barcelona with an aggressive bamboo façade and structure. This year the team is using common
Through their various decisions, the 40-member team from Ghent University constantly stressed affordability and efficiency. The house begins with a starter unit that, and according to the buyer’s time
This year, a strong focus was placed on affordability and Team Illinois worked hard to minimize costs where possible through the use of materials. They estimate the final cost of the Re_home, which
The results of the 2011 Solar Decathlon have just been announced, and the winner is University of Maryland WaterShed house! The beautiful water-conservation themed house has been leading the competition
We're thrilled to announce that this weekend Team Purdue took second place in the 2011 Solar Decathlon! Purdue's sensible, suburban-style INhome received top marks throughout the competition due to its
The 4D Home beautifully blends traditional architecture with modern building techniques to create an exceptionally efficient off-grid home that can produce more energy than it consumes. The heart of the
The WaterShed Solar Decathlon house, built by students from the University of Maryland, has taken first place in the design-build competition's architecture category! And we are not surprised. Ever since
One of the most common arguments against building energy-efficient homes is that the upfront costs are just too high, but this year's Solar Decathlon competition is telling another story. For the first
The familiar shape of Middlebury's home was inspired by New England farmhouses that are ubiquitous throughout the school's home state of Vermont. The gable shape looks decidedly traditional, but the
Building on the importance of family and community gathering, the open plan TRTL house features a flexible dining and living area that fosters family relationships. The two bedroom home can be assembled
We've been sitting on the edges of our seats all day, anxiously awaiting today's Engineering Contest results at the 2011 Solar Decathlon. The results were just announced, and we're happy to report that
Currently ranking in at number 8, the net zero prefab heralds a new generation of high-tech solar powered housing. The CHIP (which stands for “Compact Hyper-Insulated Prototype”) impressed us with its
Before one even enters the Watershed house the lush green native landscaping and natural siding stand out. The University of Maryland architecture students made a conscious effort to source local plants
The two-bedroom house is a cute little bungalow with an inviting front porch and a tract home-like façade -- a characteristic that, we'll admit, had us brushing the house off at first. Inside, the
The furniture in the Unit 6 Unplugged house reflects the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement, which originated in England in the late 19th century and was spread worldwide by architects and
Several unique features set the house apart from the rest. Inspired by the traditional New Zealand holiday home, the “Kiwi bach”, socializing and a relationship with nature were of prime importance in
Sixteen of the teams are from American colleges and universities, with the other four teams coming from China, Canada, New Zealand, and Belgium. The InhabitatNYC team is particularly excited because three
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
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 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
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
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
