We’re excited to report that as of today at the Solar Decathlon competition going on right now in Washington DC with their stunning Refract House! Just moments ago, they emerged victorious from the Communications portion of the scoring and as of yesterday they received an almost perfect score of 98 out of a 100 for Architecture and a 92 out of a 100 for Market Viability – combined with their other scores, this puts them in 1st place as of now. Close on their tails are Team Germany and Team Ontario/BC, and all the teams are anticipating the remaining scores which will be rolling in throughtout the rest of the week culminating in the score for Net Metering, which garners the hugest chunk of points. Stay with us on Inhabitat for news and updates on the winning teams. We can’t wait to see who the winner is on Friday!
You can read more about Team California’s Refract House in one of our earlier posts, but suffice it to say the house is exemplary in sustainable design, the use of recycled and eco-friendly materials, solar power, and sense of space. Yesterday the judges said about Refract House, “It is beautiful in every respect. It had excellent documentation… crystal-clear concept, and successful translation of a regional architecture to Washington DC.” The judges also said, “This project broke out of the box and made exterior and interior space appear as one… with a varied series of sensations from the cool, shaded entry to the cantilevered balconies,” and created a “series of microclimates above and beyond the competition rules that cannot be measured.”
Team California, made up of students from Santa ClaraUniversity (mostly engineering) and California College of the Arts (architecture and design), also received 3rd in Market Viability, which is a sign of how well the judges think this can be rolled out as a commercially marketable housing product. Additionally, the team received 47 in Comfort Zone, 60 for Hot Water, 47 for Appliances and 57 for Home Entertainment.
Scores which still have yet to be determined are Lighting Design, Engineering and Net Metering, and every team is anxiously awaiting good weather and sunny skies in hopes of bumping up their Net Metering score for more points.
+ Refract House
+ Solar Decathlon Standings & Scores
+ Inhabitat Solar Decathlon Coverage
+ Inhabitat Solar Decathlon Photo Gallery >
