Eco Factor: 100% solar-powered house design.
The Solar House project is part of a collaborative project between the Industrial Design and Architecture departments at the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign. This was the first step in the process of designing the University of Illinois’s second entry in the Solar Decathlon Competition. Michael Hansen, one of the team members, stated that the team’s main focus was designing a house around the main mechanical systems needed to make the house successful for the competition.
The “Core” of the house includes the water heater, electrical systems, washer/dryer and many other energy-using systems in the house, which are all powered by solar panels mounted on the roof and the windows. The designers have tried to create a visual difference between the core of the house, by using different materials and shapes, all while trying to make the core easy to construct.
Thanks: [Michael Hansen]
