Renewable, Adaptable Eco-Housing: Affordable New England Dwellings Using Solar Decathlon Driven Design Criteria: Fid-Bau Portal

Renewable, Adaptable Eco-Housing: Affordable New England Dwellings Using Solar Decathlon Driven Design Criteria

Lutz, M. P. / Puddicombe, M. S.

Beginning in 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy's biannual Solar Decathlon competition has challenged universities worldwide to design, construct, transport, and exhibit state-of-the-art high-performance solar-powered dwellings. With events being held in the U.S.A., the E.U., and Asia, the Solar Decathlon Competition has brought more than 140 residential prototypes into the public domain and has established itself as the premier event for showcasing renewable energy based dwellings. Working with Solar Decathlon Competition design criteria a multidisciplinary team of students and faculty from Norwich University have developed two precedent setting alternatives to the existing energy-hungry northern New England single-family housing situation. Both models evidence how modularized factory-based design constraints, Passive House U.S. energy standards, and proven architectural maneuvers can be used to create highly affordable, near net-zero energy dwellings in one of the nations most challenging climates. Long-term temperature and humidity data-gathering in the building envelope of the first prototype house substantiates performance and cost analysis done prior to construction.