Last month, twenty colleges from across the country traveled to Washington D.C. for a competition that amounted to two years of extensive work for the Solar Decathlon. The U.S. Department of Energy challenged these college students to design, construct, and operate the most energy efficient and functional solar-powered house, which would be tested through 10 on-site contests in D.C. Two Bay Area colleges, California College of the Arts and Santa Clara University joined forces to utilize their strengths, architecture and engineering respectively.
CCA and SCU united under the name Team California and created the “Refract House.”. Starting in the fall of 2008, the 100 student team nailed down their design to encompass sustainable and cutting edge designs. The engineers from SCU worked in various teams of specialty, such as thermal, electrical, plumbing, windows, etc. Team California was challenged by working and communicating between San Francisco and Santa Clara, but found a solution with using an online software.
The design for the house is embodied in the house’s name, Refract House. The “Refract House’s” bent tube shaped body controls the energy of light, while wrapping around a centralized courtyard. Sustainable materials such as bamboo joists with open-web beams allow ducting, electrical, and plumbing to run through the beams while still providing structural support for the roof. Thermal systems were designed to provide comfort, but at the same time use a minimum amount of energy through windows and blinds that are controlled automatically. Even more techy, Refract House used the Lucid Design Group’s Building Dashboard which monitors and displays energy and water consumption for the homeowners to monitor their personal energy and water uses.
And last but not least, the house’s roof was totally covered by photovoltaic panels. The panels utilized the slanted roof of a modest angle and ended up providing much more energy than the house actually needed, making the house a Net-Zero Energy Home.
CCA’s and SCU’s innovate designs and engineer systems held first all throughout the week of the Solar Decathlon contest. But rainy weather forced Team California to turn off some of their system controls for energy conservation and they placed third. First place went to Team Germany, the 2007 winners, and second place went to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. The team also won many awards, including first in architecture, first in communication, second in engineering, and third in market viability.
Both CCA and SCU students’ dedication and perseverance enabled them to set a precedent for other people to follow of sustainable living that does not forfeit creativity. As an alumni of Santa Clara University, I found the whole competition riveting. For a relatively small college, sitting in the suburbs of the Silicon Valley, Team California brought SCU to the nation’s attention with their message of living sustainably. Both students and alumni, followed Team California diligently with some of my friends even setting up google alerts to get the most current information. Placing third in the solar decathlon is a promising indication of Santa Clara’s sustainable future. It’s definitely a good time to be a Bronco.
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