Team Purdue’s Suburban INhome Rises to First Place in the 2011 Solar Decathlon!

An exciting update this morning on the current <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-decathlon/">Solar Decathlon</a> standings - <a href="http://www.purdue.edu/inhome/index.html">Purdue University's</a> very traditional looking <a href="http://www.purdue.edu/inhome/index.html">INhome</a> has stolen the #1 spot! We love how this seemingly bland and modest suburban style home is shaking up the contest. Rather than going out on a limb aesthetically to try to impress the architecture judges with design innovation, the <a href="http://www.purdue.edu/inhome/index.html">Purdue student team</a> instead focused on energy efficiency and mass 'marketability' by using tried and true green building techniques. <a href="http://www.solardecathlon.gov/team_purdue.html">The team</a> of student architects and engineers from Purdue appears to have chosen a solid strategy, as their pointedly suburban INhome has jumped into the top three in the first few days of the biennial Solar Decathlon competition. Undoubtedly the carefully created <a href="http://inhabitat.com/lessons-in-green-building-from-afghanistan%C2%A0/">SIP wall construction</a> and efficient cooling system tied to a huge solar array account for their surge to the front of the pack — we'll keep an eye on the team when the 'marketability' and 'architecture' judging takes place to see if the conservative design (clearly aimed to appeal to middle America) wins points with the judges.

Despite the fact that the Purdue InHome looks patently traditional, the high tech solar energy system and green construction details are anything but middle-of-the-road.

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 kitchen takes center stage; the living and dining room are set to the front of the home.

Two bedrooms are located in the back of the home. One of the bedrooms opens up to the west-facing porch.

The bedrooms both have large windows to let in natural light.

The most unique feature of the home is the <a href="http://www.purdue.edu/inhome/#house" target="_blank">biowall</a> located in the middle of the living space. Built-in to the home's structure, the biowall adds greenery to the interior while filtering air to remove harmful chemicals that can accumulate in tightly insulated homes.

The wall requires very little maintenance and even waters itself. While definitely a feature you won't find in most Middle America homes, we were hoping that the biowall would be a little bigger -- it's about the size of a full length mirror.

The team was even able to add a man cave - aka connected garage - a must-have for most American families.

The garage is located directly next to the front porch. Because of the garage's small size, this Middle America family would only be able to park a compact hybrid or EV in the space -- a fact that we are more than ok with. Perhaps if we make garages smaller, suburbanites will choose smaller cars!

The garage houses some of the home's mechanical systems, including the <a href="http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_pump.pr_how_it_works">heat pump hot water heater</a> - a relatively new product.

The home’s large south-facing windows are set high along the front, adding <a href="http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=passive+solar">warmth</a> in the winter months. These windows are well-shaded for the summer months and they also provide a great source of indirect daylight.

When the sun begins to set, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/green-lighting-101-your-guide-to-energy-efficient-light/">LED lights</a> automatically brighten just enough to keep the interior gently illuminated.

A 9kW solar array keeps the house humming with the help of a sophisticated energy load management system.

The entire lighting and HVAC system is centrally controlled and can be adjusted via a wireless device from anywhere in the house.

The home is less than 1,000 square feet (the maximum allowed this year), but the layout allows for a work space to be easily incorporated into the living room or larger bedroom.

A spacious porch wraps from the south-facing front of the house around the wide along the west-facing wall, allowing for plenty of room for deck furniture.

The verdict is still out on its effectiveness, but kudos to the team for stepping out of the box.

Floor plan

The two-bedroom house is a cute little bungalow with an inviting front porch and a nostalgic façade.