The futureHAUS goes to Dubai

Virginia Tech won first place in the Solar Decathlon Middle East in November of 2018. The interdisciplinary team represented the United States and competed against 14 international universities from eleven countries. Created by the United States Department of Energy in 2002, the Solar Decathlon is an international biennial competition aimed at sustainability, innovation, and research.

The competition was located at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, UAE, soon to be the largest single-site solar park in the world. The competition required houses to use solar energy as the only energy source and employ technologies that permit maximum energy efficiency.

The prefabricated modular design of the house allowed FutureHAUS Dubai to be constructed in just two days. Following the two week construction period, a ten day competition period challenged the team to complete tasks simulating real-life tasks, give tours to the public and juries, and perform tasks like hosting dinner parties and driving electric vehicles. International juries scored the house on criteria including Architecture, Sustainability, Innovation, Energy Efficiency and Engineering and Construction.

In addition to winning the competition, FutureHAUS Dubai took home the following trophies:

• First Place in Architecture
• First Place in House Functioning
• First Place in Sustainable Transportation
• First Place in Create Solutions
• Second Place in Interior Design
• Second Place in Sustainability
• Second Place in Innovation
• Third Place in Engineering and Construction
• Third Place in Energy Efficiency Measures
• Third Place in Comfort Conditions