Dubai’s green houses of future take shape
15 INNOVATIVE STRUCTURES VIE FOR DH10M PRIZE IN COMPETITION
In less than a week, 15 ‘houses of the future today’, complete with the latest innovative features for comfortable and sustainable living, will open for viewing to the public at the Mohammad Bin Rashid Solar Park.
These prototype of “green” houses built by university students and professors from the UAE and around the world boast of innovative solutions to today’s challenges, specifically climate change, as part of the first Solar Decathlon in the Middle East (SDME).
This international competition created by the US Department of Energy is being held in Dubai for the first time through the partnership of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), and US Department of Energy.
Taking shape at the world’s largest solar park in a single site over 60,000 square metres, the houses should be able to beat heat, dust and high humidity that the UAE experiences.
They should be cost-effective and meet 10 criteria: Architecture; engineering and building; energy management; energy efficiency; comfort conditions; house functioning; sustainable transport; sustainability; communications, and innovation.
The winning design team stands a chance to bring home ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Dh10 million. “They have to design, build and operate full functioning homes. These homes are designed to even act like they’re ordinary homes that enable people to do daily tasks. Students need to simulate that they’re really functioning while we examine them,” Sarah Al Zarouni, one of the SDME organisers, told Gulf News during a visit.
“The students do everything from A to Z. Around 80 per cent of the homes have been completed. They should be ready for viewing before November 14,” she added.
LINQ
Builders:
Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands