FutureHAUS bags top prize in Solar Decathlon
SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURE WITH SMART TECHNOLOGIES WAS BUILT IN JUST TWO WEEKS NEXT TO MOHAMMAD BIN RASHID SOLAR PARK
Student builders of the winning ‘house of the future today’ — the FutureHAUS — said everyone can build exceptionally-designed and functional houses while keeping the environment in mind.
The FutureHAUS Dubai by Virginia Tech in the US bagged the 2018 Solar Decathlon Middle East Award yesterday, winning a Dh900,000 cash prize.
Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the award to the students in the presence of Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa).
The international competition, created by the US Department of Energy, is being held in Dubai for the first time, in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) and Dewa.
Building innovation
The award ceremony is the culmination of two years of hard work by more than 600 students and faculty from 28 universities in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia.
The students had just two weeks to build the houses next to the Mohammad Bin Rashid Solar Park. The total cash prize given away was Dh10 million.
FutureHAUS integrates smart technologies with a sustainable dwelling. Bobby Vance, project manager of FutureHAUS Dubai, has three tips for anyone considering building a similar house. “Look at prefabrication because you have much more control when you do that. Look at innovative ideas to that help make the planet greener and more cost-efficient,” Vance told Gulf News.
The FutureHAUS uses a plugand-play concept where all the house’s components such as plumbing, electricals, roof, walls are pre-manufactured and pre-fabricated in cartridges, for easy transport and assembly, and can be put together in a matter of days by anyone.
Desert Rose, the house built by students of the University of Wollongong (UOW) Australia and Dubai, and TAFE New South Wales, received the second prize in Solar Decathlon and first prize for Innovation. ■