Monday, September 26, 2005

VT hopes eco-friendly house will open eyes

Note from Steve: Thanks to Ken for finding this

The public is invited to watch its construction at the Lowe's store in Christiansburg.

By Kevin Miller
The Roanoke Times

In these times of $3-a-gallon gasoline and surging home energy costs, it's only natural to dream about houses powered entirely by the sun's rays with enough juice to run the electric car parked outside.

But could such an eco-friendly house ever be embraced by an American public that demands comfort and modern amenities?

A team of Virginia Tech students thinks so.

And they are inviting the public to judge for themselves.

For the next 312 weeks, the public can watch as the team finishes work on a fully equipped, solar-powered house designed and built by Tech students.

Tech is one of 18 collegiate teams that will compete for international bragging rights next month during the federal government's second-ever "Solar Decathlon" competition in Washington, D.C.

"We're trying to prove to the public that you can have an energy-efficient, off-the-grid house and still live comfortably," said Joe Wheeler, an assistant professor in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies who serves as a advisor to the team.

The house, which was towed Friday to the parking lot of the Christiansburg Lowe's store, is more than simply a mobile home with a few photovoltaic cells attached to the roof.

Energy-efficient appliances inside are powered by a state-of-the-art solar panel shaped like an aircraft wing to catch both sunlight and rainwater. The water then flows to appliances, such as a toilet that allows the user to adjust the water flow depending on the need.

Translucent walls filled with aerogel -- the lightest solid material in the world and one of the best insulators -- let sunlight in but keep out the hot or frigid outstide temperatures. A glass ceiling allows natural light during the day, while LED lights in the walls allow the homeowner to illuminate the gel-filled walls with millions of color combinations to set the mood at night.

During winter, the house is heated with warm-water pipes that snake beneath rich-colored wood floors, which are made from a fast-growing eucalyptus tree that re-sprouts from the same stump after cutting.

Recycled or recyclable materials are used throughout the house, from the frame to the furniture. And this "smart house" can detect when its owner comes and goes and adjust the temperature accordingly to conserve energy.

The list of features goes on and on.

Two architecture graduate students -- Bryan Atwood and Brett Moss -- submitted the winning design more than two years ago. The two have worked with 10 undergrads and several faculty advisors to tweak and construct the house.

"It just gives you so much more confidence," Atwood said of the building experience.

In architecture school, he said, "You don't get much of a chance to build things. You're designing things."

Robert Schubert, a professor and team advisor, said some other schools use modular-home designs as the basis for their houses. Tech's house was designed from scratch by students.

"We feel our students get a much richer experience getting involved in all aspects," said Schubert, who is also associate dean for research and outreach in the architecture college.

On Sept. 29, crews will reattach wheels to the house's frame -- another unique feature custom-designed by the team -- and haul it to the National Mall.

Once the house is situated between the Smithsonian Castle and the National Museum of Natural History, the steel trusses that helped stiffen the house for the ride will fold down to become the porch.

That's when the real scrutiny begins.

For eight days, Tech's house and those of 17 other teams from North America and Europe will be judged on, among other things, their design, comfort, lighting, applicance functionality, energy efficiency and ability to heat water.

The students also earn points for driving as many miles as possible in an electric car, which must receive all of its power from the house.

The U.S. Department of Energy's last Solar Decathlon, held in 2002, drew more than 100,000 visitors to the "Solar Village" on the National Mall. Officials expect even larger crowds this time.

Tech placed fifth out of 14 teams in the first competition in 2002, after spending too much time stitching together their two-piece house. The University of Virginia had a one-piece house and finished second.

UVa dropped out of this year's contest.

But Tech faces stiff competition from engineering and architecture powerhouses such as the University of Michigan, the University of Colorado and conglomerate teams comprised of several top universities.

Schools from Canada, Puerto Rico and Spain are expected to compete this year.

The winner will be announced Oct. 14.

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