A multidisciplinary team of 40 handpicked Stevens students participated in the biannual international multi-university competition Solar Decathlon. The US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition’s goal is to foster innovation in energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly, solar-powered residential homes. Participation in the prestigious Solar Decathlon competition is a privilege and honor. Stevens is one of only 20 schools selected to compete. The Stevens team, with the backing and support of University President Farvardin, designed an environmentally coastal home that can withstand a “hundred year storm” called the SURE House (sustainable, resilient home for coastal communities) while working with outside companies and gaining practical experience.
After the onslaught brought by Hurricane Sandy two years ago- in which coastal New Jersey communities suffered a lot of damage, including the city of Hoboken and the campus- Stevens decided to design a house for the competition that could withstand a severely strong storm. Drawing in methodologies from naval design and other fields, the designed house should withstand a “100 year storm” and also meet the year round living needs of residents. A “100 year storm” is a storm so severe that it only has a 1% chance of occurring each year, or once every 100 years. To do this required a multidisciplinary approach.
This is Stevens’ third consecutive entry in the Solar Decathalon which will culminate this year in Irvine, California. Each entry has improved in quality. This entry’s team consisted of 40 students from different majors. Stevens previously entered the competition in 2011 and 2013. In 2011, Stevens worked with the New School University and Habitat for Humanity Washington, D.C. to make Empowerhouse, winning affordability and hot water awards. Now, the house is currently being used by an inner-city working mother of three. In 2013, Stevens won second place in the US and won fourth place globally. The entry was Ecohabit, a “smart house”. It is now a net-zero veterans center on the California State University San Marcos campus.
The SURE HOUSE project forms the core of a broader research and development enterprise at Stevens in conjunction with major stakeholders in the New York metropolitan area. Designed to meet the needs of the middle and working class residents who live in the areas of coastal New Jersey and New York, the SURE HOUSE design uses the new flood maps issued by FEMA after Hurricane Sandy, and also the economic innovative approaches to building in the coastal areas.
The multidisciplinary team consisted of engineering, business, science, visual arts, and music majors. They worked on different aspects of designing the building- from engineering, to research, to contacting fabricators and other partners, to communications. Many of the innovative approaches dealt with structural design, wall design, the humidity and ventilation system, and other new designs. The house was designed with a steel framework, an extra foot of height to buffer against flood waters, and a humidity control system that uses chemical engineering to efficiently take vapor out of the air using salt compounds.
Construction begins in January and ends in May according to Ed May, the project manager. The SURE HOUSE will be transported to the competition in Irvine, California for exhibition during the Fall of 2015. After the competition, the house will be used in a coastal community. “Party on deck of the house when it’s finished,” May said.
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