Students of CTU compete in California with a solar house

On October 3rd, the international student competition Solar Decathlon 2013 began in California. The AIR House, constructed by students from the Czech Technical University, will compete against 18 other houses in the solar decathlon. The Solar Decathlon is organized by the U.S. Department of Energy and NREL, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Selected university teams from around the world are tasked with designing, building, and operating an energy self-sufficient family home during the final exhibition.
The students worked on the project for nearly two years. They designed, secured funding and promotion, and starting in the spring of 2013, built the AIR House themselves right on the university campus. At the beginning of August, the house left Dejvice in seven shipping containers. Its journey led from Hamburg through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles. In Orange County Great Park in Irvine, the Czech competitive structure is part of a solar village. This village was constructed over the last fourteen days of September on the site of the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, 60 km from Los Angeles.
A total of 400 students from 15 American teams, 2 Canadian, and 2 European teams (Czech and Austrian) participated in the construction of all 19 competition houses. American teams assembled their houses from several almost finished modules, while Czech students faced the challenge of assembling the house from the ground up in less than nine days. The dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Zdeněk Zavřel, and the vice-dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Petr Hájek, also came to assist. The Faculty of Architecture leads the project and closely collaborates with the Faculty of Civil Engineering and the University Center for Energy Efficient Buildings of the Czech Technical University. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, and Faculty of Transportation also participate in this project.
The AIR House is a prototype building that is energy-independent, designed for two very different climates, functional, and beautiful at the same time. The AIR House is intended for a two-person household aged 50+, known as "empty nesters." It is designed as a cottage that can serve as a full-time residence in retirement. The house is entirely made of wood: the supporting structure, thermal insulation, facade, interior surfaces, and furnishings. It derives all the energy for its operation from solar radiation. The energy concept is based on the principle of a "house within a house." The AIR House is equipped with ceiling panels for radiant heating and cooling and features a simple smart electrical system.
The project is financed through grants from the competition organizers, grant programs of the Czech Technical University, and commercial sources. Companies including ČEZ, Hypoteční banka, Metrostav a.s., Metrostav Development, Schneider Electric, Zumtobel Lighting, Dřevostavby Biskup, Vesper Frames, TAROS NOVA, Sauter, Regulus, and many others that provided materials for construction, equipment, and expert assistance have been involved. The support of the Czech Technical University was crucial.

In the following 10 days, public tours will take place in the solar village at Orange County Great Park, the team will perform competition tasks, and expert juries will evaluate the house. All buildings will be judged in 10 disciplines, with each discipline awarded a maximum of 100 points. The team with the highest total score will win. After the competition, the Czech Technical University team will have five days to disassemble and prepare the house for its safe journey back to Czechia.

Participation in the competition brings great prestige to the university and enormous experience to the students. The fact that the Czech Technical University team managed to transport the building across half the globe, construct it, and put it into operation is already a significant victory for the students. The official results of Solar Decathlon 2013 will be announced on Saturday, October 12th.


More information about the project can be found on these sites and social networks:
www.airhouse.cz
www.solardecathlon.gov
www.facebook.com/SolarDecathlon2013.Prague
www.youtube.com/TeamCTUSD2013
www.flickr.com/ctusolardecathlon2013