The Solar Decathlon is a biennial collegiate competition challenging student teams to design and build full-sized, solar-powered homes with an emphasis on sustainability. This year, 11 teams from institutions across the world will participate in 10 contests that emphasize innovative design, energy efficiency, water use, resident comfort, and market potential. The DOE-sponsored competition, which is open to the public, will be held in Denver from Oct. 5-15. In this daily series, BUILDER takes a look at the innovative features of each of the homes.
Northwestern University's Solar Decathlon team, "House by Northwestern," has designed a sustainable home that is suited to Chicago’s harsh climate and inspired by the city’s tradition of architectural innovation. The house is named Enable for its “energized and adaptable” design, suitable for a baby-boomer couple on the cusp of retirement in Chicago’s North Shore.
Throughout the building and design process, HBN relied heavily on feedback from individuals in their target market, and found that aesthetics and functionality were of most value to them. The team’s final product is a sustainable home design with clean, modern lines and a practical layout.
Enable is constructed with structural insulated panels (SIPs) and has a reconfigurable interior. Movable interior walls made from recycled MDF panels attach to vertical aluminum frames and can be adapted to residents’ changing needs.
Contributing to the home’s modern lines is a sleek roof-integrated solar system and an attached sunroom. Home automation technologies and energy-efficient appliances can be found throughout.
HBN wanted to use materials that were not only reliable, efficient, and affordable, but that would also contribute to air quality. Their research found that improved air quality plays an important role in promoting health and minimizing age-related health challenges.
Enable is equipped with a system that monitors VOCs, CO2, dust, humidity, and temperature to inform residents if any factor is compromising indoor air quality. An energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system continuously replaces indoor air with fresh air, while a special coating on windows and exterior surfaces shields the home from airborne pollutants.
HBN selected CertainTeed’s AirRenew M2Tech drywall, a gypsum board that extracts formaldehyde from the air and converts it into a safer compound. Even the houseplants were selected for their air purifying qualities.
HBN leader Dick Co called the 2017 Solar Decathlon “the perfect opportunity to collaborate on a real world project to demonstrate solutions to energy efficiency issues, advancing the change needed to make sustainable design and construction practices commonplace.”
After the competition, Enable will return to Evanston, Ill., to serve as a sustainability education and research hub.
