A student-led team from Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT) in New Jersey has won the 2015 Solar Decathlon with a “Coastal Home of the Future" - the SU+RE House. Affordable, net-zero, and entirely solar-powered, the home was inspired by the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. It hopes to serve as a prototype for coastal homes.
"SU+RE HOUSE powers itself with clean solar power, and uses 90 percent less energy than its conventional cousins," says the winning team. "In the aftermath of a storm, SU+RE HOUSE can become a hub of emergency power for surrounding neighborhoods."
Made from fiber-composite materials repurposed from the nautical industry, the "armored" home features easily deployable, bi-folding "store shutters" that protects from intense storms, harvests sunlight and provides shading.
"SU+RE HOUSE achieved a total score of 950.685 and outshined more than a dozen other student teams from universities around the world, ranking highest in architecture, market appeal, communications, appliances, engineering, commuting and home life. It also received a high score in the comfort zone contest where it was awarded second place. SU+RE HOUSE marks Stevens’ third, consecutive entry in the prestigious competition since 2011," stated SIT.
