LUMENHAUS

America.gov talks with Virginia Tech Student Team Members about LUMENHAUS

2009-10-15T04:40:00.001-07:00

Lindsey Jones shows LUMENHAUS' Kitchen

2009-10-15T04:34:00.001-07:00

Corey McCalla, 5th yr Architecture Student talks about LUMENHAUS and the Solar Decathlon

2009-10-15T04:32:00.000-07:00

Christian Truitt, 5th yr. Architecture student explains LUMENHAUS'S Eclipsis System

2009-10-15T04:30:00.001-07:00

2009 Solar Decathlon

2009-10-12T11:35:00.001-07:00

2009 Solar Decathlon
Originally uploaded by Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon

Beautiful picture of LUMENHAUS at sunset with the National Monument in the backgroup.

LUMENHAUS, local favorite on FOX--GO HOKIES!

2009-10-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Robert Dunay introduces LUMENHAUS

2009-10-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

via TreeHugger
Thanks to David DeFranz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvRnzvnVjMo&feature=player_embedded

LUMENHAUS on EcoHomeMagazine

2009-10-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech’s Lumenhaus

Virginia Tech uses sliding glass walls to expand the living space of its Solar Decathlon 2009 house.

By:: Nigel F. Maynard

Team website: www.solar.arch.vt.edu

Coolest features: Eclipsis shutter system made from stainless steel and a translucent polycarbonate panel filled with aerogel; bifacial solar panels so reflected sunlight generates additional electricity.

Technology/Product highlights: Radiant heated concrete floors; embedded Led light in shutters; rainwater collection and greywater recycling; and house management interface

From Virginia Tech’s point of view, the relatively small size of the houses in the 2009 Solar Decathlon doesn’t mean they cannot live large. Lumenhaus is an attempt to prove that theory. “We have taken a small space and extended it out,” says Andrew McCoy, associate professor of building construction.

Lumenhaus is all about light, so the students designed a pavilion (a la international-style architect Mies van der Rohe) with sliding north and south glass walls that can be opened up to permit sunlight and cross breezes. The wall also helps “expand the footprint of the house onto the decking and outdoor space,” the school says. McCoy calls it “responsive architecture” because “the house responds to the outside.”

“Responsive architecture features include the ability to operate the heating, cooling, lighting, insulation, and sunshading with a computer or iPhone, which receives environmental condition data from sensors inside the house and a weather station outside the house,” the school says.

The large sliding shutters also help extend the house to the outdoors. Made from laser-cut stainless steel and an insulating translucent polycarbonate panel filled with aerogel, the shutters allow the house to respond to the weather and allow the homeowner to adapt the spaces for entertaining or privacy.

Each circular cutout was precisely numbered and cut based on the angle of the sun, the region, and the amount of light penetration desired. “[A]t different times of day and during different weather conditions, the light varies from subtle dancing shadows created by the circular tabs in the Shading Shutter to full sun exposure when the screens and glass doors are completely open,” says the school.

More than merely a sun shading device, the shutters collect energy during the day and radiate the energy at night to run the low-energy, LED lighting system built into the insulating panels.

Even the photovoltaic system is well thought out. The students selected a roof-mounted installation that features single-crystal silicon wafers set between transparent glass plates. This is a more efficient system, the school says. “Sunlight passes through the panel, is reflected off of the roof, and bounces back up to the back side of the wafer to generate additional electricity,” it explains.

Inside, the house has a concrete floor that acts as a thermal mass. Embedded with pipes for radiant heat, the slab is heated by the sun and hot water piping (via geothermal heating) during the day and radiates that heat throughout the house at night. Other sustainable or recycled-content materials include zinc cladding, wood decking harvested from fast-growing forests, and concrete floors with recycled fly ash.

“Lumenhaus epitomizes a ‘whole building design’ construction approach, in which all the home’s components and systems have been designed to work together to maximize user comfort with environmental protection,” the school says.

http://ow.ly/tAVH

An Illuminating Vision for Pavilion Living: Virginia Tech's LUMENHAUS

2009-10-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

An Illuminating Vision for Pavilion Living: VT’s Lumenhaus

October 7th, 2009 · 2 Comments

Imagine the environmentally conscious socialite and their new cottage at the Hamptons. That is the feel that Virginia Tech’s Lumenhaus gives in their, quite simply, luminous website and presentation of their entry into the DOE Solar Decathlon, which opens Thursday on the Mall in Washington, DC, and which I had a chance to visit earlier today.

As the name suggests, Lumenhaus is a dwelling playing with light and living off it with extensive windows and both solar photovotaiic (electric) and thermal (hot water) systems.

The Lumenhaus’ system also has two-sided solar panels which seem to be a ‘new’ feature appearing in a number of the homes this year. These Sanyo panels, VT claims, have a 15% performance improvement over single side producing systems.

Control systems that ‘run the house’ automatically, including moving around louvers as the solar angle shifts. (While the owner could override this, the automation is aimed to maximize performance — whether heat gain / retention in winter or minimization / cooling in summer.) This means that the system is constantly monitoring system performance, weather and interior conditions, and weather forecasts to achieve the optimal performance not just for that moment but also for the hours and days to come.

“LUMENHAUS uses technology optimally to make the owner’s life simpler, more energy efficient and less expensive.”

These louvers are quite impressive, with laser cut ‘circles’, all bent to maximize light gain and minimize unwanted heat gain (thus, each of the 1000s of cuts is specific to that location on the louver). Seeing them on the mall, with multiple color reflections looking toward the Washington Monument was stunning (let’s hope the photos come out). The Lumenhaus Eclipsis system actually is more than ’simply’ these rather beautiful metal shutter shades, but also includes translucent insulating panels filled with aerogel.

All of this monitoring and automation means that the Lumenhaus, left to its own devices, will have a quite different look dependent on time of day, weather conditions, or time of year. As they ask, “does your home dress for the seasons?”

Wandering the Solar Decathlon is like being caught in a big candy store for the ‘eco-geek’ within, but it is also eye candy for the aesthetics’ oriented (even though, of course, the integration of technology into our lives has a beauty of its own). Already mentioned, is the changing nature of the home during the season, the beauty of the shutter shades yet there is much more. Watching the video, walking into Lumenhaus (even while under construction) creates an “I want that” moment, seeing it as an eminently livable space … effective not just in energy terms.

Truth be told, essentially every one of the Solar Decathlon homes creates moments and feelings of “I want this” or “what a wonderful approach” or … That is one of the reasons it is such an Energy COOL event.

http://getenergysmartnow.com/2009/10/07/an-illuminating-vision-for-pavilion-living-vts-lumenhaus/

Integrate Site Design--LUMENHAUS' Landscape Architecture

2009-10-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

Solar Decathalon 2009 Innovations: Integrated Site Design

10/07/2009 by asladirt

Solar Decathalon 2009 kicked off on the National Mall today. After receiving more than 40 student-generated proposals from universities in the U.S. and worldwide, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) narrowed the field down to 20 finalists that offered the most innovative, high-tech, high-efficiency, solar-powered homes. More than 800 students are competing this year. This is the fourth time the DOE has sponsored the biennial competition.

Each of the 20 student teams received $100,000 from the DOE but still had to raise some $400,000-500,000 to pay for the 800-square feet homes. The DOE spokesman said that by teaming up with a range of companies, the students were learning “real world experience” that will make them the “energy leaders of tomorrow.” Now in its fourth-generation, the Solar Decathalon is “pushing innovation and systems engineering.” Some homes include microgrids that can be run through an iPhone.

The homes will be judged by a team of architects, engineers, systems engineers, lighting specialists, and communications specialists on the overall architecture, engineering, comfort, marketability, appliances, lighting, and other aspects. The DOE said that not only must the homes be aesthetically appealing, but “they must also work.” Using only solar power, the homes must heat 15 gallons of water to 150 degrees twice a day; run all appliances; heat and cool the homes; and maintain temperatures of 72-76 degrees with 40-60 percent relative humidity. The judges have also added a home entertainment component. TVs, powered by solar energy, must be able to run for six hours per day. Additionally, six team members must live, eat, work within the homes from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM every day during the competition.

The homes are being wired by local D.C. energy provider, Pepco, which has connected the homes to the central energy grid. Zero net homes will get 100 points at the end of 10 days but will receive an extra 50 bonus points if they return surplus to the grid, creating an additional incentive for energy-efficiency. The DOE says, “Solar is here to stay, and these homes prove that it works.” What the contest will prove is what technologies work best.

A number of student homes included integrated systems with landscape elements at their core:

Virginia Tech’s Lumenhaus

Ben Johnson, ASLA, professor of Landscape Architecture, Virgina Tech, said Lumenhaus’ site and landscape features were designed to contribute to the home enterprise and assist the solar-powered functions. Lumenhaus is “low-energy and high green,” said Johnson. Instead of a green roof on top of the home (which Johnson said the team decided not to use because of height restrictions), there are two types of green roofs that form terraces around the site. The green roof terraces are used for water treatment and lowering the home’s carbon footprint.

Johnson said recent research his department is conducting points to a fascinating number: 400-square feet of dense groundcover with a density of 32 leaves per square inch can sequester the C02 output of one person. Using these calculations, the Lumenhaus team determined the amount of plants needed for the site. For one terrace, the landscape architecture students involved in the project used sedum, which “sequesters carbon and doesn’t give it up, unlike other seasonal plants that dump their carbon during their lifecycle.” Additionally, the green roof terraces assist in solar absorption.

To assist with greywater mitigation, water output from the home’s sinks, dishwasher, washing machine, and other appliances, are infiltrated through the terraces and ponds in an integrated manner. Grey water is also used to water the green-roof terraces. “Theoretically, you can drink it,” Johnson added. Unfortunately, Johnson noted, it’s not allowed. The hydroponics help create the site dynamic but also solve the greywater problems.

Virginia Tech started on this project more than two years ago. “Landscape architecture students were involved from the early concept phase.” Virginia Tech won the competition in 2005 so wanted to “up the ante.” To do this, Johnson said, they needed an interdisciplinary design team that included electrical, computer, and structural engineers, architects, and landscape architects. Johnson noted that the landscape architect was the “lead on site,” while the architect was the lead during development. Johnson added that the site development / landscape component of the Solar Decathalon had improved dramatically from four years ago. The team thought siting the home in a landscape would also help them win marketability points.

The total project budget was around $600,000. SemperGreen UK and LiveRoofprovided elements of the green roof terraces, along with Oscar Warmerdam.

http://dirt.asla.org/2009/10/07/solar-decathalon-2009-innovations-integrated-site-design/

Solar Decathlon Puts Spotlight on Green Homes

2009-10-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

Solar decathlon puts spotlight on green homes

October 7, 2009 - 3:57pm

This solar-powered home was built by a team of Virginia Tech students. (Darci Marchese/WTOP Photo)

Darci Marchese, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Think your home is green?

You won't believe some of the solar-powered homes being featured on the National Mall.

More than 800 university students from the United States, Canada, Spain and Germany are competing in the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon to build the most energy-efficient home

One of the homes - which are around 800 square feet - was built by a team from Virginia Tech.

Architecture student Christian Truitt says an iPhone application controls Virginia Tech's version of an energy-efficient home.

"The phone can move the insulation, the walls. It can control your lighting, your curtains," Truitt says.

A weather station inside the home monitors conditions and makes "decisions on what's the right action to take to protect itself and keep itself most energy efficient," Truitt says.

But the 20 homes making it to the final round can't just look good. They also have to prove they're energy-efficient by performing everyday functions like laundry, heating and cooling.

The solar decathlon is open to the public starting on Thursday. The winner will be announced on Oct. 16.

For more information about the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon,click here.

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1780648

LUMENHAUS feature on Solar Decathlon website

2009-10-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

Daily Journal - October 6, 2009

Emerging Technologies Define Solar Decathlon

It's nail-biting time as teams wrap up the construction process. All houses must be grid-connected by 2 p.m. tomorrow, with assembly completed and lots cleaned by 5 p.m. That gives teams less than 24 hours to finish. Most teams remain upbeat, but you can sense a quickness to the pace and a sense of urgency from others. A look at the time-lapse camera may give the impression that a huge amount of work remains, but you'll be surprised how fast things will come together tomorrow afternoon.

The solar village is like one big puzzle with highly innovative pieces. As they are fitted together and nearing completion, we learn more about what makes each house special.

The Virginia Tech entry, Lumenhaus, is a high-tech marvel. Movable wall systems make it instantly recognizable. Sliding polycarbonate doors filled with Nanogel can be opened or closed for heat gain or loss. The panels and shading screens perform a large portion of the heating and cooling functions through passive design. When fully open, they create a pavilion-style living space that blends with the outdoors. Another feature of Lumenhaus is its concrete flooring. Specially developed for the Solar Decathlon, the concrete is integrated with a flexible material that makes the flooring lighter and easier to transport, opening up all kinds of opportunities for modular homebuilders.

http://www.solardecathlon.org/2009/daily_journal_1006.cfm

Lumenhaus screens

2009-10-07T06:35:00.001-07:00

Lumenhaus
Originally uploaded by mcdanielism

Love this photo from mcdanielism on flickr.com. Thanks for the support.

Touring the Lumenhaus Solar House: Tech in skylight above the bathroom exposed.

2009-10-07T06:33:00.001-07:00

Touring the Lumenhaus Solar House: Tech in skylight above the bathroom exposed.
Originally uploaded by curiouslee

Thanks to Mike Lee for some great photos of Virginia Tech's Lumenhaus! Check out his photo stream on flickr.com under curiouslee

Virginia Tech

2009-10-06T11:25:00.001-07:00

Virginia Tech
Originally uploaded by Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon

Beginning construction of LUMENHAUS' decks on the mall. The Solar Decathlon begins in 2 days and Virginia Tech is ready!

more information:
www.lumenhaus.com
www.solardecathlon.org
www.facebook.com/lumenhaus
www.twitter.com/lumenhaus

2009 Solar Decathlon

2009-10-06T11:22:00.001-07:00

2009 Solar Decathlon
Originally uploaded by Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon

LUMENHAUS ON THE MALL IN WASHINGTON, D.C. PREPARING FOR THE SOLAR DECATHLON:

Eclipses sun screens, right, and a gray water filtration system, bottom, reflect the sun off the solar-powered Virginia Tech house during the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Monday, Oct. 05, 2009. (Photo by Stefano Paltera/US Dept. of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Uploaded by Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon on 5 Oct 09, 8.44PM EDT.

Virginia Tech Lumenhaus Kindles Solar Possibilities

2009-10-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

A team of faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students spanning four colleges — theCollege of Architecture and Urban Studies, the College of Engineering, the Pamplin College of Business, and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences — has created a solar-powered house for the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

From Oct. 4 through Oct 17, 2009, the Virginia Tech Lumenhaus will be displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where it will compete against 19 other universities to determine which team has designed and built the most efficient, operational solar-powered house to address evolving quality of life issues.

Joseph Wheeler, associate professor of architecture, is the lead faculty member on the project.

The major phases of the Solar Decathlon Competition include:

Research: Students and faculty investigate all aspects of energy use in daily patterns of living. Interdisciplinary teams develop hundreds of alternatives synthesizing architectural intent with technological innovation. The theme of Virginia Tech’s solar house is Responsive Architecture and is designed to advance conservation as well as technical innovation.
Building: The conceptual phase of the project proceeds through prototype development and testing. Alternatives are explored through full-scale mock-ups, drawings, models, animations, and computer simulations. This planning is validated or challenged through the act of construction. In addition to designing houses that use innovative, high-tech elements in ingenious ways, students work with fabricators, suppliers, consultants, and other professionals in a similar mode to the workplace they will eventually enter.
Robert Dunay, the T. A. Carter Professor of Architecture, is one of the lead faculty members on the project.
Corporate Partnerships: With this fourth Solar Decathlon, the level of expertise and sophistication increases geometrically. Because of its past showings in 2002 and 2005, Virginia Tech is able to attract substantial corporate sponsorship. ConocoPhillips and Siemens are two of the many partners who have contributed cash, in-kind material, and services to enable the university to compete at an international level.
Competing: Teams transport their houses to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for three weeks of public viewing and competition. During the competition itself, the teams receive points for their performance in 10 contests.

Virginia Tech is the only university in the commonwealth represented in the U. S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition. The teams, which were selected from universities in the United States, Canada, Spain, and Germany, were charged with creating houses that utilize energy-efficient technology and demonstrate that houses powered entirely by the sun do not have to sacrifice all the modern comforts and aesthetics homeowners are accustomed to.

Virginia Tech's Lumenhaus website includes a documentary, a video build-up that shows how the house is constructed from the inside out, detailed information about thetechnologies featured in the house, and a video experience of living in the house.

The Eclipsis system is an advanced building façade comprising two layers: a metal shutter shade and a translucent insulating panel. The system was on display at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Va., during the 2009 summer.

The road leading to the National Mall

An exhibition about the Virginia Tech Lumenhaus was open at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Va., June 12 – Aug 23, 2009. The exhibition showcased the house’s Eclipsis system.

The Eclipsis system is an advanced building façade comprising two layers: a metal shutter shade and a translucent insulating panel. The shutter shade slides along the north and south façades, providing protection from direct sunlight while simultaneously allowing for indirect, natural lighting, views to the exterior and privacy to those inside. The sliding insulating panel is a translucent polycarbonate panel filled with aerogel. Aerogel is a super lightweight, highly insulating translucent material that provides insulation equivalent to a typical sold wall during harsh weather conditions without blocking natural light.

The Virginia Tech Lumenhaus was on exhibition at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., Sept. 5-27. The house was displayed on the museum’s west lawn while the team tested the systems and components.

Virginia Tech's 2009 Solar Decathlon team poses with their entry at the College of Architecture and Urban Studies' Research and Demonstration Facility, where the initial construction took place.

The next stop

Virginia Tech is one of only two U.S. universities invited to compete in the first Solar Decathlon Europe, which will take place in Madrid in June 2010. The Solar Decathlon Europe competition is modeled on the biennial U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/innovation/2009-09-28-solar/2009-09-28-solar.html

THE SOLAR DECATHLON

2009-10-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

VISIT LUMENHAUS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Solar Decathlon team houses are open for public visits Oct. 9–13 and 15–18. They are open 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday–Friday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Please note that all houses are closed Wed., Oct. 14 and may be closed for 1-2 hours on other days for competition judging and measurement purposes.

For more information on events and workshops by day visit:http://www.solardecathlon.org/schedule.cfm

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE MALL?

EXPERIENCE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO LIVE IN LUMENHAUS IN OUR INTERACTIVE VIDEO: www.lumenhaus.com

LUMENHAUS arrives on the MALL!

2009-10-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

LUMENHAUS ARRIVED ON THE NATIONAL MALL AT MIDNIGHT OCT. 1

LUMENHAUS' last week @ the National Building Museum

2009-10-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech solar house on exhibit at National Building Museum Sept. 5-27

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 3, 2009 -- An innovative solar house that has been designed and constructed for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon by a team of Virginia Tech faculty and students will be on exhibition at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., Sept. 5-27.Virginia Tech and the National Building Museum have a long history of collaboration. Through tours of the house and public programming, the museum and Virginia Tech aim to educate the public about the importance of sustainable design within the built environment. The Virginia Tech solar house, named LUMENHAUS, will be on display on the museum’s west lawn at the intersection of 5th and F Street, in Northwest Washington, while the team makes final improvements on the construction of the house.At 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 10, to augment the exhibition, the museum will host a panel discussion about how cutting-edge sustainable technologies are conceived, developed, and ultimately brought to the market. Panelists include: Richard King, director, Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon; Paul Torcellini, senior researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratories; Bill Sisson, director of sustainability, United Technologies Corporation; andLance Hosey, architect and journalist (moderator).For more information about the Virginia Tech solar house, visit the LUMENHAUS website. The website includes announcements about exhibitions; a documentary; a video build-upthat shows how the house is constructed from the inside out; detailed information about thetechnologies featured in the house; and a video experience of living in the house.Lead faculty on the Virginia Tech LUMENHAUS project are College of Architecture and Urban Studies faculty Joseph Wheeler, associate professor of architecture; Robert Dunay, the T. A. Carter Professor of Architecture; Andrew McCoy, assistant professor of building construction; and Robert Schubert, associate dean of research.Lead students on the project are Alden Haley of Glen Allen, Va., fifth-year architecture student; Corey McCalla of Rockville, Va., fifth-year architecture student; Casey Reeve of Shelter Island Heights, N.Y., fourth-year industrial design student, all in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, also Brian Zaremski of Manasas, Va., electrical engineering graduate student; and Ji-Sun Kim of Blacksburg, a doctoral computer science student, both in the College of Engineering.

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2009&itemno=648

Eclipsis System--Sun Shade Arrival

2009-09-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

The Sun Shade just arrived to the LUMENHAUS construction site (National Building Museum) today!

The Eclipsis System is an advanced building façade comprising two layers: a metal shutter shade and a translucent insulating panel. The shutter shade slides along the north and south façades, providing protection from direct sunlight while simultaneously allowing for indirect, natural lighting, views to the exterior and privacy to those inside. The sliding insulating panel is a translucent polycarbonate panel filled with aerogel. Aerogel is a super lightweight, highly insulating translucent material that provides insulation equivalent to a typical sold wall during harsh weather conditions without blocking natural light.

LUMENHAUS on TreeHugger

2009-09-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech & the Solar Decathlon: What About Us?

by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 09.10.09

Hot on the heels of the article about Penn State using Ed Begley Jr to earn them brownie points in the Solar Decathlon, Viginia Tech quickly shot back a post. 'What about us?, they said, we're in the National Building Museum in Washington, DC right now. Doesn't that get us any press and kudos for the competition?'
Virginia Tech's entry to the Solar Decathlon is currently on display and open to the public until the competition begins this October. The solar house, titled LUMENHAUS, an 800 square foot zero-energy home, will be on display but students and faculty working on the project will also be making adjustments during this last month - more like a living artwork, if you will. The house is designed to dress itself and you for the seasons and is smart enough to know when to add more light, less light, more heat or less heat. If you can't make it to DC, you can visit the house virtually on theirLUMENHAUS website, which includes pictures, videos and even footage of people living in the house.
The museum will also host an event September 10 at 6:30pm to talk about sustainable design and solar energy. Leaders from the Solar Decathlon, NREL and other green building gurus will be on hand to answer questions and talk about the future of these cutting-edge technologies.
The Solar Decathlon challenges schools to design a house that can produce enough hot water and electricity to run all of the functions of a normal home and the team at the end of the week with the most points wins. In 2005, the Virginia Tech home won fourth overall and first place in best architecture, livability, day lighting and electric lighting. The Virginia Tech team is also one of only two universities invited to attend the Solar Decathlon Europe in Spain, June 2010. :Virginia Tech News :LUMENHAUS

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/09/virginia-tech-and-the-solar-decathlon-what-about-us.php

LUMENHAUS on Re-Nest

2009-09-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

Lumenhaus: Green Home Inspired by Mies

Lumenhaus is Virginia Tech’s 2009 entry to the US Solar Decathlon competition, an educational project of the U.S. Department of Energy supported by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This green house was inspired by the Farnsworth House by Mies Van Der Rohe. It features glass walls facing the north and south to maximize daylight, and the fully automated Eclipsis System of independent sliding layers filters light in beautiful, flowing patterns throughout the day...

Lumenhaus is a zero-energy home completely powered by the sun. Other sustainable features include the use of passive energy systems, a rainwater and greywater recycling systems, radiant heating and building materials that are from renewable and/or recyclable sources. The modular design means multiple units can be connected to create a space tailored to the needs of the owners, and the rectangular open design has a small footprint but still creates a perception of greater space. The Lumenhaus represents almost two years of labor by the design team at Virginia Tech.

You can read more about the Lumenhaus online or even fan it on Facebook. If you want to see the Lumenhaus in person, you can check out the unique Eclipsis panels at the Taubman Museum in Roanoke Virginia through August 16, or wait until October when DOE will erect a "solar village" on the National Mall and allow the public to tour the houses- we'll definitely be there for the big unveiling!

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/design/lumenhaus-green-home-inspired-by-mies-092845

LUMENHAUS on Clean Skies News

2009-09-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

Now that the Department of Energy is sponsoring an international search for energy efficient homes, Virginia Tech University students and professors are submitting their own solar-powered, self-sufficient home to the contest. Clean Skies News takes a sneak peek at Lumenhaus, the university's computerized, energy-producing contest entry.

Watch the video at:

http://www.cleanskies.com/videos/virginia-tech-launches-lumenhaus

Twitter Follow @lumenhaus

2009-09-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

LUMENHAUS is Tweet-tastic! Follow us @lumenhaus --www.twitter.com/lumenhaus.

Some tweet examples:

See LUMENHAUS in Wash, DC at the Nat'l Building Museum (@BuildingMuseum) b4 Solar Decathlon. Photo of exhibit:http://twitpic.com/h7uq6.

Feature on Virginia Tech's LUMENHAUS on the Solar Decathlon website. @SolarDecathlon www.solardecathlon.org

Follow The Solar Decathletes: @lumenhaus @TeamSPAIN@UASolarD @SD09TeamGermany @Refracthouse @SolAbode@ZEROWHOUSE @pennstatesd2009 @cu

National Building Museum Exhibit

2009-09-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Sept. 5 - 28th see LUMENHAUS at the National Building Museum

LUMENHAUS is proud to be on Exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC before the Solar Decathlon.
Tour the house and watch the team complete construction and test house systems.

HOURS:
Mon.-Sat. 10 am to 5 pm
Sun. 11 am to 5 pm

More Information:
www.lumenhaus.com
www.nbm.org/programs-lectures/

Adios Blacksburg, Hello Washington, DC

2009-09-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

It took all night driving but LUMENHAUS finally made it from Blacksburg to Washington, DC.

Here's a picture of the innovative transportation system that allows LUMENHAUS to be constructed and sent to any location.

LUMENHAUS loves MODEA

2009-09-17T21:06:00.003-07:00

We cannot thank local Blacksburg media company, Modea, enough for their in-kind services! Here's the extended Communication Team responsible for the LUMENHAUS website.

LUMENHAUS off to Washington, DC

2009-09-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

Tech solar house off to D.C.

by Zach Crizer, CT News Editor

Monday, August 31, 2009; 10:55 PM

A smart phone can now control a smart house.

Lumenhaus, Virginia Tech's third solar decathlon entry, departs for Washington, D.C., tonight chock full of new technology and applications.

Project coordinator Joseph Wheeler said a new feature of this entry allows the user of the house to monitor energy usage.

"We have a way, using technology, to allow the user of a house to view where the energy is going," Wheeler said.

The house's energy can be viewed and controlled on an Apple iPhone.

"With the iPhone and Siemens control system, you have access to everything going on in the house," Wheeler said.

Lumenhaus is Tech's entry into the Solar Decathlon sponsored by the Department of Energy.

Faculty adviser Robert Dunay, director of Tech's Center for Design Research, said the project has already helped educate the general population about energy consumption.

"I think it has already proven to be successful because the DOE is trying to get the public more aware of daily use of energy," Dunay said.

The competition, which Tech will participate in from Oct. 8-18, occurs every two years. It is held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

"They do that every other year now, and it's one of the main instruments the DOE is using to alert the public to different areas of energy," Dunay said. "The focus of this competition is photovoltaic energy," which is the use of solar cells.

However, Lumenhaus will first participate in a month-long exhibition on the lawn of the National Building Museum.

The house will arrive early Wednesday morning, and Wheeler hopes to have it fully assembled by noon. He credits the minimal assembly time to the method of transportation.

"We came up with an innovative transportation system in 2005 that would allow us to get the house to the Mall in one piece," Wheeler said.

He said the month-long exhibition is a key time to improve Lumenhaus' chances of winning the October competition.

"One month is critical for testing that is going to give Virginia Tech an edge that no other team is going to have," Wheeler said.

Dunay said the experience of two previous entries in the competition has also added to the project.

"Each time, the degree of sophistication goes up exponentially," Dunay said. "This house is quite more advanced than our two previous competition entries."

The competition requires students to operate as if they were living in the house.

"The students have to run the house the way a family would run it," Dunay said. "Everything that is done in a normal house is simulated or done in the competition while they're on the Mall."

Students will not sleep in the house overnight, as the Mall does not allow it.

Dunay said 14 core students will accompany the house to Washington, D.C. He said the number of total contributing students is "probably in the hundreds."

One new part of the competition measures how much energy the houses can contribute to the local power system.

"This is the first time the houses are grid-tied," Dunay said. "Now, any extra energy we dump into the grid we get points. It's part of the energy balance competition, which is one of the 10 competitions in the solar decathlon."

The house accomplishes the energy surplus by monitoring and adjusting to weather and weather forecasts.

Lumenhaus will also compete in an international competition known as Solar Decathalon Europe. It will be held in Madrid, Spain, in June 2010. The house will be transported by boat.

The project has received corporate support from ConocoPhillips and Siemens. It is also partially funded by cash donations.

ConocoPhillips offered support after viewing Tech's 2005 solar decathlon entry. Wheeler said the evolution of the house was aided by the success of previous entries into the competition.

"When we start a new project, we don't start over," Wheeler said. "We start where we left off."

http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/14090

Pictures of the Open Haus

2009-09-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

Did you come out to Blacksburg Square to see LUMENHAUS? Check out our Facebook www.facebook.com/lumenhaus to see you photo.

LUMENHAUS Open Haus

2009-09-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

TOUR LUMENHAUS THIS SUNDAY, AUG. 30 from 4-6 PM at BLACKSBURG SQUARE SHOPPING CENTER ON SOUTH MAIN STREET.
Get an exclusive first look at LUMENHAUS before it moves to the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

Virginia Tech solar house to hold community open house Sunday, Aug. 30

By Heather Riley Chadwick

BLACKSBURG, Va., August 27, 2009 -- The Virginia Tech solar house will be open for tours on Sunday, Aug. 30 from 4-6 p.m. when faculty and students will be on hand to answer questions and describe the final stages of construction.

The house is currently located the parking lot of the Blacksburg Square shopping center on South Main Street in Blacksburg. The solar house, which the team designed and is working to finish constructing, will compete in U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in October.

The Virginia Tech solar house, which is named LUMENHAUS, epitomizes a “whole building design” construction approach, in which all the home’s components and systems have been designed to work together to maximize user comfort with environmental protection. LUMENHAUS uses technology optimally to make the owner’s life simpler, more energy efficient and less expensive.

On the cutting edge of responsive architecture, LUMENHAUS can operate completely self sufficiently, responding to environmental changes automatically to balance energy efficiency with user comfort. It is a zero-energy home that is completely powered by the sun. Sustainable features of the house include the use of passive energy systems, radiant heating and building materials that are from renewable and/or recyclable sources.

On Sept. 1, the house will move to the National Building Museum in Washington D.C., where it will be on exhibition until it relocates to the National Mall in early October for the Solar Decathlon. In June 2010, the house will be shipped to Madrid, Spain, where it will be one of only two United States entries invited to the Solar Decathlon Europe competition.

LUMENHAUS on Inhabitat

2009-09-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

Inhabitat

Lumenhaus – Virginia Tech’s Smart Solar House

by Bridgette Meinhold, 08/21/09

We’re getting excited about this year’s Solar Decathlon and love Virginia Tech’s zero-energy, smart house.Lumenhaus — which is a combination of Lumen, meaning power of light, and Haus, which is a reference to theBauhaus architectural movement — is a high-tech home that will be sure to garner a lot of attention at the upcoming competition. In fact it’s only one of two US teams to be accepted into the Solar Decathlon Europe, where it will compete against teams from around the world.

Lumenhaus is an 800-square-foot, 1-bedroom residence with an open floor plan that extends to the outside decks when the Eclipsis System is open. The Eclipsis System is Virginia Tech’s advanced shading system that automatically opens and closes in accordance with the current weather conditions. The Eclipsis System is comprised of two layers: a metal shutter shade and a translucent insulating panel, which is a translucent polycarbonate panel filled with aerogel. Aerogel is a super lightweight, highly insulating translucent material that provides insulation equivalent to a typical sold wall during harsh weather conditions without blocking natural light.

During good weather, the semi-transparent screens open to let in natural daylight and sliding doors extend the living space out onto the deck. During bad weather, the screens slide shut to shelter the house from cold winds, rain or snow. The home’s smart system gathers information from its rooftop weather station to automatically control the screens, rooftop solar system, heating and cooling and lighting.

The roof is a double efficient solar system, which collects enough energy to make the house a net zero house. The solar panels are bifacial, meaning they use both sides to increase energy output by up to 15 percent, and they system tilts up to the optimum angle. A geothermal heat pump efficiently heats and cools the home. Orientation and design allows for a naturally day-lit home, reducing the need for artificial lighting. The home and energy systems can also be controlled via smart phone, so if you are away and forgot to turn off the lights, or computer or god forbid the oven, you can remotely turn them off.

As one would expect for a Solar Decathlon entry, the home includes many more green design features, likegraywater recycling, rainwater collection, radiant floors, LED lighting, home management system, and use of sustainable materials. While the prototype has cost around $350,000 provided by corporate sponsors, future models should cost less. The prefabricated and modular design of the house allow for efficiency of construction and variation in design that makes it quite a stellar example of home building. Good luck at the competition, Virginia Tech!

+ Lumenhaus

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/08/21/lumenhaus-virginia-techs-smart-solar-house/

August Construction

2009-09-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

August 2009 construction:

- Cabinet installation

- Bathroom core construction

- Bedroom

- Exterior cladding

The American Ceramic Society & LUMENHAUS

2009-09-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech aims for the sky to win Solar Decathlon

Edited By Ann_Spence • August 14, 2009

Lumenhaus is Virginia Tech’s zero-energy home that can be completely powered by the sun and geothermal energy. Other sustainable features include the use of passive energy systems, radiant heating and building materials made from renewable and/or recyclable sources.

The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is entering the house in the U.S. Department of Energy’sSolar Decathlon 2009.

The house will be displayed outside the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. for most of September. In October, Lumenhaus will be on display at the National Mall along with other entrants in the Solar Decathlon. And, Virginia Tech is one of only two U.S. universities invited to compete in the first Solar Decathlon Europe, which will take place in Madrid in June 2010.

A powerful array of photovoltaic panels provides carbon-neutral energy to the house. The PVs, arranged in a single array that covers the roof, are built into the house during construction. The panels are bifacial, meaning they use both sides to increase energy output by up to 15 percent. Using an electric actuator, the entire PV array can be tilted to the optimal angle for each season (from zero degrees to a 17-degree angle in summer and to a 35-degree angle in winter).

The energy collected during the day will be radiated back out at night through a low-energy, long-lasting LED lighting system.

Lumehaus is not only energy-efficient; it is water-efficient, too. The roof is sloped to collect rainwater that is filtered for potable use in the house, while used household greywater – from the shower, bathroom sink and clothes washer - goes through a series of bio-filters in the surrounding landscape where it is cleaned for non-potable use.

Lumenhaus facade uses aerogel as an insulator that allows natural sunlight in the house while insulating against the harshest conditions. (Credit: Virgina Tech)

An advanced building façade is comprised of two independent layers: a metal shutter shade and a translucent insulating panel. The shutter shade slides along the north and south façades, providing protection from direct sunlight while simultaneously allowing for indirect, natural lighting, views to the exterior and privacy to those inside. The sliding insulating panel is a translucent polycarbonate panel filled with aerogel. Aerogel provides insulation equivalent to a typical sold wall during harsh weather conditions without blocking natural light.

I don’t know about you, but this is my dream house come to life. If you like it, too, you can even fan it on Facebook.

http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/materials-innovations/virginia-tech-aims-for-the-sky-to-win-solar-decathlon/

LUMENHAUS on Apartment Therapy

2009-09-17T20:33:00.001-07:00

Lumenhaus: Green Home Inspired by Mies

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/green-ideas/lumenhaus-blacksburg-va-092726

LUMENHAUS ON Design Milk

2009-09-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

Lumenhaus

Posted on 08.11.09 by Jaime in Architecture.

Lumenhaus is Virginia Tech’s 2009 entry to the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition. The 800 sq. ft. zero-energy house is completely powered by the sun delivers a brighter way to live, literally and figuratively. Lumenhaus responds to the seasons, weather, and light. It is currently being built, and you can watch the progress and find out more on their website.

I think they’ve got a winner!

http://www.lumenhaus.com

http://design-milk.com/lumenhaus/

Photos of the Move

2009-09-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vthokiefans/sets/72157621839585505/

2009-09-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Campus Snapshot Gallery

Lumenhaus: Virginia Tech's 2009 U.S. Solar Decathlon team last week moved its 800-square-foot entry, known as LUMENHAUS, from the Research + Demonstration Facility on Plantation Road to the Blacksburg Square shopping center on South Main Street.

LUMENHAUS is a zero-energy home that can be completely powered by the sun. Other sustainable features include the use of passive energy systems, radiant heating, and building materials that are from renewable and/or recyclable sources.

Moving LUMENHAUS to Blacksburg Square will allow the Solar Decathlon team to attach solar panels to the roof and put other finishing touches on it before its next stop, Washington D.C.

The house will be displayed outside the National Building Museum for most of September. In October, LUMENHAUS will be on the National Mall along with other entrants in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009.

Watch video of the move, or visit the Lumenhaus website for more information on the house and the Solar Decathlon.

(Photo by Gary Cope)

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/spotlight.php?spot=426

VT Annual Fund Article

2009-09-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

Unlimited Opportunities: The Virginia Tech Annual Fund supports extraordinary student experiences

Alden Haley, Corey McCalla, Kevin Smith, and Danny Slover (left to right) are among the dozens of Virginia Tech students getting valuable experience as part of the Solar Decathlon team.

By Albert Raboteau

Students in Virginia Tech's nationally renowned architecture program learn how to design beautiful structures during their five-year course of study. Actually getting their designs built is something that usually does not happen until they are out working in the field.

But for students like Alden Haley and Corey McCalla that is not the case. They are among the dozens of Hokies -- from a variety of programs -- who are getting real-world experience in their fields of study by participating in theU.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009.

With help from faculty advisers, as well as considerable donor support, the students on Virginia Tech’s Solar Decathlon team are building an 800-square-foot home to showcase new possibilities for environmentally friendly design.

Their structure -- which is named LUMENHAUS in homage to the Bauhaus design movement that influenced its look -- will not only have solar panels on the roof, but a computerized system to maximize energy efficiency and user comfort.

"In school it's pretty uncommon to actually have built a house," says Haley, an Ashland, Va., native who, like McCalla, is heading into his fifth year of the architecture program. "It's a handful of people at most, so this is really special."

McCalla, who is from Rockville, Va., says the Solar House is "definitely the most memorable project and one of the most memorable experiences I've had at Virginia Tech, and in my whole education."

Robert Dunay, the T.A. Carter Professor in Architecture, says that is likely to be the case for lots of students.

"This is probably one of the best educational experiences that they get -- to see the transition between the abstraction of their drawings and calculations and the performance of the actual construction," says Dunay, a faculty adviser to the Solar House team.

Architecture students are not the only ones benefiting from the Solar House project. Kevin Smith of Fairfax, Va., says his experience on the project "really ties in with what I’m going to be doing in my career."

He graduated in May 2009 with a bachelor's in mechanical engineering and will soon start working on energy-use analysis for Southland Industries, a mechanical engineering, construction and service firm that operates nationwide and specializes in government buildings.

Shortly before Palisade, Colo., native Danny Slover graduated with a bachelor's in electrical engineering in May 2009, he said: "I had a job interview last week where I talked about [the project]. It shows your ability to work as a team."

Assistant Professor of Architecture Joe Wheeler, another adviser on the project, says students from his college on the Solar House team learn how to work with suppliers, contractors, engineers, and even marketers, which is something they will have to be able to do well if they ever want to have their own architecture firm.

"The ability to work across disciplines is something that they usually don't see until they are out in the profession, so that is kind of an eye opener for them, to see how a real project really works," Wheeler says.

Christine Burke, of Manassas, Va., is on pace to graduate from Pamplin College of Business with a bachelor's in marketing in December 2009. For students like her, the project is a chance for hands-on experience promoting LUMENHAUS. Students are working in creative ways to publicize the house online, including social marketing through Twitter and Facebook.

"I'm interested in brand management, so it's great working on this project because we’ve actually created a brand," Burke says.

Coming up with a communication plan is part of the overall Solar Decathlon completion, which takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Virginia Tech is fielding one of 20 student teams in the Solar Decathlon, which is the most recent in a series of such contests sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy to promote energy efficient construction. Each team will display its entry on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for three weeks in October 2009.

Virginia Tech has a record of Solar Decathlon success. The university's 2005 entry placed fourth overall, but won first place in four categories: best livability, best architecture, best day lighting, and best electric lighting. The 2005 entry also received the American Institute of Architects President's Award for Best House.

In 2010, the Solar Decathlon team will ship LUMENHAUS to Spain to compete in aEuropean version of the contest. Virginia Tech is one of two U.S. universities invited to participate in that contest.

"Extraordinary opportunities such as competing in the United States' as well as the European Union's solar decathlons come about through private philanthropy," says Jack Davis, dean of Virginia Tech's College of Architecture and Urban Studies. "The annual fund is an important component of the funding portfolio for this project in particular, and the college as a whole. Donors enrich our resources to be able to execute important environmental and energy based research at both the undergraduate and graduate level."

http://www.campaign.vt.edu/campaign-vt/?q=node/475

2009-09-17T20:04:00.001-07:00

Tech's 'smart house' goes on display

LumenHaus is Virginia Tech's newest solar-powered home and the university's entry in the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon.

By Tonia Moxley
381-1675

Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

An "oversize load" banner is fastened to the truck before Virginia Tech's solar-powered LumenHaus is moved from Plantation Road to the the Blacksburg Square Shopping Center, where it will be on display until Sept. 1.

About LumenHaus

Aka: The Solar House
Age: 7
Occupation: Prototype of the eco-friendly, energy-efficient house of the future Hometown: Blacksburg
Motto: “A brighter way. Everyday.”
Awards: 2002, ranked fifth in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon; 2005, ranked fourth
Now showing: Blacksburg Square Shopping Center, South Main Street
Online: lumenhaus.com

A timeline of events

2002

Virginia Tech’s newly built Solar House places fifth out of 14 in the first U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. The event draws more than 100,000 visitors to the “Solar Village” on the National Mall.

2005

Tech places fourth overall in the second decathlon but wins top honors for architecture and livability.

2007

Tech team sits out the third decathlon and begins design of a new solar house.

2009

A LumenHaus exhibit is mounted at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke. The Tech team readies for the U.S. Solar Decathlon scheduled for October in Washington, D.C. The team is invited to compete in the Solar Decathlon Europe in Madrid, Spain, in 2010.

Sources: The Roanoke Times, Virginia Tech and lumenhaus.com

BLACKSBURG -- Imagine the house of the future.

If it gets too hot outside, the house reduces the need for air conditioning by drawing its shade panels.

When temperatures drop in winter, high-efficiency insulation panels slide in place to conserve heat.

In fact, this house could brew your morning coffee and turn on your favorite music before you get out of bed.

Welcome to LumenHaus, Virginia Tech's newest solar-powered "smart house" and the university's entry in the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon.

The name comes from "lumen," meaning "power of light," and "haus," a nod to the Bauhaus architectural movement that inspired the new prototype.

The 800-square-foot LumenHaus is a broad stepping evolution from the original Solar House design that won Tech high marks in the 2002 and 2005 solar decathlons.

The new design incorporates two years of work from dozens of students in various fields of study.

Powered by double-efficient solar panels and heated and cooled with geothermal heat pumps, the house is designed to maximize the use of natural light and expand the living space to the outdoors using expansive decks. The new prototype also uses computer automation to save energy and create a more comfortable living space, architecture professor and project faculty adviser Joe Wheeler said.

One particularly interesting feature was created by computer science students, who wrote an iPhone application to remotely monitor and control the structure's energy use.

Forget to turn off the oven? Irritated that the computer and the TV are sucking electricity while you're at work? With LumenHaus, you can switch them off using your iPhone, Wheeler said.

The original solar house was designed by former Tech architecture graduate students Bryan Atwood and Brett Moss.

While LumenHaus is "a totally new design ... on the other hand, we like to think of it as the evolution of the past project. We don't start over, we just continue to develop the concept," Wheeler said.

The team moved the new house from the Tech campus to the Blacksburg Square Shopping Center this week, where it will be on display until Sept. 1, when the team departs for Washington, D.C.

Once in the capital, the house will go on display at the National Building Museum until October, when the decathlon begins.

In June, the team will load LumenHaus on a ship for transport to Madrid, Spain, where Tech will compete with teams from around the world. LumenHaus is one of two U.S. entries accepted this year to Solar Decathlon Europe, Tech architecture spokeswoman Heather Riley-Chadwick said.

The $350,000 project was funded primarily through corporate sponsorships, Wheeler said.

Prototypes are generally expensive as they require lots of trial and error. But the team is working on making LumenHaus more affordable.

"Market viability is one category in the decathlon," Wheeler said.

Take a video tour of the house by clicking "documentary" at www.lumenhaus.com

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/214619

Video of the move to Blacksburg Square

2009-09-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

http://vimeo.com/5995091

Virginia Tech architecture students prepare their entry, LUMENHAUS, for the U.S. Department of Energy's 2009 Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C.

LUMENHAUS is a zero-energy home that is completely powered by the sun. Other sustainable features include the use of passive energy systems, radiant heating and building materials that are from renewable and/or recyclable sources.

Finishing Touches on VT Solar House

2009-09-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Finishing touches on VT solar house

A Virginia Tech student and faculty built solar house is getting some finishing touches before competition. The house is sitting in a Blacksburg parking lot while student designers complete the interior of the building. It'll be there until September first. That's when the solar house will be moved to Washington, D.C. where it will be showcased at the National Building Museum before the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. The competition is held every two years and 20 schools are selected to attend. Each groups must build an 800 square foot house that runs completely on solar power. After D.C., the house will be shipped to Madrid for a European solar design competition

A Virginia Tech student and faculty built solar house is getting some finishing touches before competition.

The solar house will be moved to Washington, D.C. where it will be showcased at the National Building Museum before the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp S=10862040

LUMENHAUS on Solar Feeds

2009-09-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

LUMENHAUS: Intelligent Green House of the Future

Virginia Tech’s Solar Decathlon houses of 2002 and 2005 were invaluable learning experiences for the process of the 2009 house. The third Solar Decathlon Competition presents further opportunities to challenge the ideals of solar housing design, integrate technology and architecture, and ultimately promote solar power for the modern homeowner and workforce. A collaborative of students, faculty, and staff from the departments of architecture, industrial design, interior design, building construction, mechanical, structural, and electrical engineering, computer science and the college of business have come together to design, build, communicate and operate a unique solar house that demonstrates a viable and comfortable living and working environment, excellence in sustainable construction, and strong architectonic expression.

While various interpretations exist, the Virginia Tech Solar Team places major emphasis on the duality of sustainability through a “responsive architecture;” not sacrificing a quality through aesthetic value for affordability or sustainability in the architectural context. Homeowners should not have to make this sacrifice, as all of these objectives can be achieved through thoughtful, innovative design. The Virginia Tech house, named lumenHAUS, proposes solutions to current issues of affordability, sustainability and architectural quality. Prefabrication methodologies drive these solutions through: innovative transportation techniques, flexibility and multiplicity of design models, architectural responsiveness and an automation of building assemblies. Our methods of prefabrication are designed to increase access to broad markets and demographics, while also promoting solar power as a viable option for today’s home.

Responsive Architecture

The lumenHAUS design was originally modeled after the Farnsworth House, a modern icon through its open plan, abundance of light and its strong ties to the outdoors and nature. The 700 square foot house instantly triples in square footage and utilizes zero energy for a good part of the year both day and night. Large sliding-glass doors with screens allow full cross ventilation and a dark grey, polished concrete floor offers thermal massing for the incorporation of a passive solar energy strategy. Otherwise, an opaque screening system closes tightly to contain and insulate against loss of energy.

The mission of the Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon Team is to inform and educate the public about issues of energy (particularly solar), promote the diffusion of important and innovative technologies, enhance student education, through a design-build, educational process, and engage in innovative research and testing through application. The breadth of expertise incorporated into the design, engineering and construction of the 2009 home exemplifies multidisciplinary excellence and consideration.

An innovative transportation system allows the house to be transported easily without expensive permitting and very little on-site construction or assembly. The system, which is inspired by the double drop lowboy trailer, is made up of removable components (axle/wheel assembly on the back and hitch hookup on the front) allowing for simple truck transport, flexible suspension, and higher height clearances than conventional modular transportation methods. Low cost and efficient transportation is a critical component to the future of pre-fab, modular construction.

Our team’s market viability plan utilizes this transportation system with the many advantages of prefab, factory built assemblies that include higher quality control, lower construction cost and less construction waste. Further, manufacturing technologies present economic opportunity through local workforce development (both skilled and unskilled) and sustainable productivity solutions.

The design also accounts for community and lifecycle solutions through multiple units that connect or stack with plug-in stairs and entryways, making a holistic system and viable product for variable and changing markets. The home incorporates major parts, such as screens, which require remote assembly and can easily be attached to the home’s main structure. Each additional item attached to the home is therefore customizable for the locality, environment or desires of the homeowner. A sustainable community, an extension of the lumenHAUS concept called lumenCITY, has been developed by the team which models different affordable housing schemes and envisions neighborhood growth through a trading of modules to one another, accommodating growth or the modern aspect of shrinking community.

An Engineering Solution

The home is “intelligent,” containing a computer that collects information and utilizes it to operate house controls, ensuring energy efficient operation and user comfort. The computer can open and close sunshades, moveable insulation panels, and curtains; it can adjust the thermostats and control humidity. The computer also controls lighting, house music and security. The home’s engineering design also responds to its environment through the following controls:

- The house is equipped with a weather station that monitors temperature, wind speed, humidity, and daylight which can be disseminated as localized data;

- Through the internet, the house can also gather weather forecast information;

Sensors inside the house can monitor interior environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, day lighting and house occupancy.

During initial occupation, the interface offers a set of questions to the new owner to translate daily routines and schedules, comfort levels, even preferred lighting levels at different times of day to insure its operation at the most efficient energy level. The computer further programs background music for atmosphere and comfort. Still, overrides and daily custom operations can easily be achieved through the use of the interface device: the iPhone. Virginia Tech’s computer science department is developing such an iPhone application which enables one to operate all house systems remotely. This remote operation includes access to power management displays (above), providing the home’s energy production and consumption, with detailed information on specific components consuming energy. Additionally, the iPhone will facilitate the ease of turning on and off lights, moving automated, exterior insulation or shading panels, or opening and closing curtains. RFID coding in the phone will lock and unlock your front door; occupancy sensors and daylight sensors will add an additional level of energy management.

The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system utilizes the latest geothermal heat pump technology. With an earth-tied water-to-water heat pump, low energy hot water is produced which supplies hot water for the hydronic radiant floor system and for domestic hot water. An additional earth tied water-to-air heat pump provides hot and cold forced air and humidity control. An efficient air-to-air heat exchanger is also incorporated into the system. Finally, the thermal massing of the concrete floor increases re-use of solar energy, either via heating of the hydronic system (integrated into the slab) or storage of radiation.

Home energy is obtained by an 8.4-kilowatt photovoltaic array consisting of 43, 195-watt Sanyo Hit Double-bifacial photovoltaic (PV) panels. This innovative new technology utilizes both sides of a silica wafer to increase the panels’ outputs up to 15%. In other words, the roofing membrane (a white PVC rolled-roofing) reflects energy back up to be collected on the reverse side of each solar panel. Depending on how much ambient light may be reflected onto the panels’ backs, the array could potentially be a 9.4-kilowatt array, more than enough energy to power the home and offer excess energy back into the grid-tied power infrastructure. The entire array will be mounted on a sun tracking rack system, for increased efficiency, allowing the array to shift from a 17-degree angle in summer to a 35-degree angle in winter.

The above image illustrates the various pools surrounding the home. Rainwater is collected by a roof drainage system and is filtered and reused inside the house and for irrigation. Greywater (house water from the shower, bathroom sink and clothes washer) is filtered through a water-land plant system and also reused to fill the toilet basin or for irrigation.

Moveable translucent insulating walls (pictured above behind, and shorter than, the metal panels) utilize polycarbonate panels and Aerogel insulation to generate an r-24 insulation rating, well beyond the efficiency of most home wall assemblies without windows. The house therefore has the ability to adapt to the exterior conditions: if the weather is good, you have the ability to open the house up to the outdoors and expand your interiors or insure a well-insulated assembly when desired. Edges of the panels include inflatable gaskets for a tight fitting closure to ensure the capture of all energy produced during the hours of optimal radiation. With a low energy lighting system included in these walls, lighting can be easily provided for both interior and exterior spaces when desired. A similar system of shade panels will also slide across the north and south facades to provide shading and privacy as needed.

Finally, low energy L.E.D. lighting is engineering throughout the home with the latest technology to minimize draw on the power source. As you see above, the ambient and task light provide a desirable atmosphere for any home, day or night. The lighting levels are, again, easily controlled using the iPhone interface and allow numerous options for lighting solutions.

Cookout at LUMENHAUS construction site

2009-09-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

It's hot in Blacksburg over the summer but the team got to chill out and cookout on occasion.

LUMENHAUS on YouTube

2009-09-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

We are building a house . An 800 sq. ft. zero-energy house that is completely powered by the sun. A house that wakes you up, tells you how its doing and dresses for the weather. We think it is the future.

http://www.youtube.com/user/lumenhaus

2009-07-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

42 Photo Voltaic Panels took the team 3 days and over 20 hours to install.

2009-07-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

Learn more about the Bauhaus movement that inspired the design of LUMENHAUS

Biggest-Ever Bauhaus Exhibition in Berlin

BERLIN — It wasn’t a happy ending. Once celebrated as Europe’s leading art and design school, by early 1933 the Bauhaus was reduced to camping in a hastily converted telephone factory on the outskirts of Berlin and subsisting on handouts from its director, the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Denouncing it as “un-German,” the newly elected Nazi government forced the school to close.

The Bauhaus has now returned to Berlin in very different circumstances. Some 1,000 examples of the work of its students and teachers are exhibited in “Bauhaus: A Conceptual Model,” which opened last week in the Martin-Gropius-Bau exhibition hall as the biggest-ever Bauhaus retrospective. The location is doubly significant, not only because its architect (and namesake) was a great-uncle of Walter Gropius, the Bauhaus’s founding director, but because of its geography. The building stands beside what were once the headquarters of the Gestapo, the Nazi’s secret police force, and the Berlin Wall that divided the city — and Germany — for decades.

As the Bauhaus’s history is steeped in German politics, it seems apt that it should be welcomed back to Berlin with such aplomb. The school opened in 1919, the year that the Weimar Republic introduced democracy to Germany, and ended in 1933 when the Nazis seized power. The remnants of the Bauhaus were then divided between three archives: two in its first homes of Weimar and Dessau, on the Communist side of the Iron Curtain, and a third on the other side in West Berlin.

This new retrospective marks both the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Bauhaus’s 90th birthday. But being big doesn’t always augur well for exhibitions, especially when they are burdened by so much political baggage. Nor does it help that there have been so many other shows about the Bauhaus over the years, not to mention essays and books. Does this one say anything new?

Luckily it does. The Berlin exhibition, which was organized collaboratively by the three Bauhaus archives and is to open at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in November, combines famous Bauhaus mementos — from Marcel Breuer’s metal furniture, to Herbert Bayer’s graphics and the record-breaking Marianne Brandt teapot that sold for $361,000 at Sotheby’s — with some inspired surprises.

“Many people have a clear idea of what they think the Bauhaus represented, but that’s only part of the story,” said Annemarie Jaeggi, director of the Bauhaus Archive in Berlin. “We’re trying to show that it adopted different ideas and different approaches at different times.”

The (not so) “clear idea” of the Bauhaus belongs to the period from 1926 to 1928, when it moved into a brand new bespoke building designed by Gropius in Dessau. Among its teachers were some of the greatest artists and designers of the 20th century. Josef Albers, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee taught art there. Bayer was responsible for graphics; Breuer for furniture; Laszlo Moholy-Nagy for product design; Oskar Schlemmer for performance; Gunta Stölzl for textiles; and Gropius lectured on architecture. His glacially elegant building filled with Breuer’s gleaming glass and metal furniture created an indelible impression of the “Bauhaus style” that, for the general public, swiftly became inseparable from the “modern style.”

Seductive though the image of the dazzlingly technocratic Bauhaus-Dessau is, it is only one chapter of the school’s story, as Dr. Jaeggi points out. The Bauhaus’s early years in Weimar were clouded by a power struggle between Gropius and Johannes Itten, a charismatic member of the then-fashionable Mazdaznan sect, which favored an instinctive, spiritual approach to creativity. The school’s first manifesto was illustrated by Lyonel Feininger’s woodcut of an ancient cathedral, and much of the students’ work was primitive in style. A highlight of the Berlin show is the rough-hewn wooden African Chair made by Breuer in 1921 with an artisanal seat woven by Stölzl. Lovers at the time, they were both students at the Bauhaus in Weimar, and teachers in Dessau.

It was only after Itten’s departure and the arrival of his successor, Moholy-Nagy, in 1923 that the school reinvented itself as a modernist hothouse. Fired by Moholy-Nagy’s zest for Constructivism, the staff adopted “Art and Technology: A New Unity” as their new slogan, and planned the move to Dessau. Gropius resigned after two years there, and the Berlin retrospective shows how the next director, the Communist architect Hannes Meyer, encouraged the students to adopt a more utilitarian approach by designing for the masses. Metal and glass was replaced by plywood in the furniture workshops, and the slogan changed to “Popular needs in place of luxury.”

Two years later, Meyer was succeeded by Mies. Despite spending most of his directorship embroiled in political rows with the local Nazis, first in Dessau and then Berlin, he instilled the school with his vision of “model architecture.” The exhibition ends with a 1932 montage by a student, Iwao Yamawaki, showing the Nazis trampling over the upturned Bauhaus building.
After the school closed in 1933, many Bauhäuslers fled from Germany, and the battle to write the history of the Bauhaus began. Gropius had the upper hand. As a Harvard professor, he taught his version of events to several generations of American architects, and disseminated it more widely through the 1938 Bauhaus exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. The colleagues who had followed him to influential teaching jobs in the United States did the same: Breuer at Harvard; Albers at Black Mountain College then Yale; Mies at the Illinois Institute of Technology; and Moholy-Nagy at the New Bauhaus in Chicago.

Those who stayed in Europe fared less well. Many Bauhäuslers died there during World War II, or soon afterward. The ones who, like Brandt and Meyer, ended up in the Soviet bloc suffered years of repression when their Bauhaus ideals were condemned as “decadent.” By the late 1960s, when East Germany and other Communist countries were starting to reassess the Bauhaus, most of them were retired or dead. They did not have the chance to tell their stories, which is why Gropius’s account has proved so enduring, at least until now.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/fashion/27iht-design27.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&ref=design...I&adxnnlx=1248787236-yczY0vF8AtVB0abRDGImOw

2009-07-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Check us out on YouTube.

We are building a house . An 800 sq. ft. zero-energy house that is completely powered by the sun. A house that wakes you up, tells you how its doing and dresses for the weather. We think it is the future. Someone once said, innovation starts with a dream. Dreams can be in the form of solar-powered houses named after the BauHaus movement, and innovation, in the form of LUMENHAUS, right?Step up: (link to the YouTube video) and be a part of this solar movement. Go ahead, tell others. We want you to march with us towards a brighter way to live.
The Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon Team

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SPszsuECuE

2009-07-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

July 2009 Construction:

-Glass door installation

It takes 5+ people to lift one door. They weigh 500 lbs each!

2009-07-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

Summer Solstice Fest

The student team showcased a model of the home and a sample of the Eclipsis Screen at the 2009 summer solstice festival in downtown Blacksburg.

2009-07-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

Gadgets Show How Much Power Your House Eats

BY GEOFFREY A. FOWLER
Curtailing your home electricity use is a bit like losing weight: You already understand the basics of how to do it, but it’s hard to accomplish without help and motivation. An array of gadgets are vying to serve as electricity personal trainers, monitoring home power use minute by minute, and making you feel guilty about indulgences like blasting the air conditioner.

I have been testing three of these devices, the Power Monitor from Black & Decker Corp., the very similar PowerCost Monitor from Blue Line Innovations Inc., and the more-sophisticated The Energy Detective 5000 from Energy Inc. In my tests, the Black & Decker model provided the most effortless electricity-tracking service. At $99.99, it is also the least expensive.
The devices provide real-time data about how much power you’re using across the house in terms that are easy to comprehend: cost per hour and cost per month. Turn on the microwave and watch the cost jump from 10 cents to 25 cents an hour. Turn off some lights and see the cost drop a few cents.

The firms say their customers have, over time, seen drops of as much as 20% in power bills by being more mindful of electricity use and making informed purchases, such as installing efficient light bulbs. The largest drops are often recorded in households that have (power-hogging) electric water heaters, and where the whole family gets involved in monitoring use. An independent Oxford University study in 2006 found that people getting direct feedback on their power consumption reduced use 5% to 15%.

After I began monitoring, my most-recent electricity bill dropped $10 from the month before—but that could also be due to my living in a city where air conditioning isn’t a summer necessity. I find myself thinking more about electricity, and even running back into the house to make sure the lights are out.

The monitors sold by Blue Line and Black & Decker are almost identical, because they’re both manufactured by Canada-based Blue Line. The Blue Line model costs $109, is a bit larger, and features a slightly longer range for the wireless signal that transmits power use from your electric meter.

Connecting these two devices to my electric meter was simple. First, loop a metal belt around the glass dome covering the meter. Then align a sensor attached to the belt on top of the glass to read the data collected by your meter. On my old-style meter, the Power Monitor’s sensor keeps track of how fast a dial rotates. The companies say their products work with about 90% of meters in North America. On a newer meter, the sensor would read a digital port on the front
The sensor you attach to the electric meter wirelessly sends raw data to a digital monitor that is kept inside the house. Before using the monitor, you have to enter data from your electric bill, but finding the right data can be tricky. Black & Decker’s instructions on this are relatively clear, and entering the data into the digital monitor involves a process similar to setting an alarm clock.

The digital monitors, about the size of a large remote control, can sit in one room or travel about the house. A button labeled “tare” on the Black & Decker model helps you calculate how much electricity is being used by any single appliance that you can turn off and on. Press the button and it zeros out the reading.Turn on an appliance and the device calculates its usage alone. I found surprises: My LCD TV uses just $0.02 an hour, while an electric water kettle uses more than $0.20 an hour.

The Black & Decker model features a rudimentary display that only reports the aggregate power use for your house at any given time. It can’t go back and show you changes over time.
But the latest model from The Energy Detective, known as TED, connects directly to a house’s power supply for a more-precise read than the Black & Decker. It comes with software that graphs how use patterns change over time. The TED 5000 costs $199.

But installing TED requires turning off your home’s main power line and inserting a sensor into your circuit breaker—a process that the company says should be done “by qualified personnel only.” I sought help from a friend who has a lot of wiring experience, but after several hours, we were unable to make TED work. My issue was likely a decades-old circuit breaker. The company said my configuration is atypical and that problems like this are rare. A colleague has been using TED for several weeks after hiring an electrician to install it.

While TED 5000 offers many more advanced tools for sleuthing your home’s electricity waste than the other models, all of its sophistication won’t necessarily help the average user do much of a better job remembering to turn off the lights. For most of us, the large cost-an-hour sign on the Black & Decker Power Monitor offers the only feedback we really need.

If you’re just looking to target power-hogging appliances in your house, there are even less expensive solutions. For example, the $24.99 Kill-a-Watt, which I haven’t tested, sits between one appliance and the outlet, and tells you exactly how much power that appliance is using.
And before buying any of these devices, keep in mind that many utility companies are installing a new generation of so-called “smart” meters, which not only measure real-time power use, but also offer two-way communication with the power company to help cut costs. Some will also offer software to help you monitor your power use, and Google Inc.’s nonprofit foundation is already working with power companies on a free service that connects data about your power use into an online widget. Appliance makers are also working on products that can communicate with a central controller to turn themselves up or down, on or off, according to changing prices or conditions.

All three of the monitors I tested should continue to work with most new power meters. While these devices seem downright rudimentary compared to what’s on the horizon, they certainly suffice in the meanwhile to make electricity use more visible.

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052970204261704574276022585190910-lMyQjAxMDA5MDAwOTEwNDkyWj.html

2009-07-29T10:59:00.001-07:00

The Telsa Electric Car

The LUMENHAUS team checks out a fully electric powered car at the construction site.

It doesn't use oil and only has around 12 moving parts involved in propelling the car forward (opposed to over a thousand in a typical car). The body is made of carbon fiber and will not dent, scratch or break unless extreme forced is used. As a result, there isn't much maintenance involved with this car. It's about the same size as any other little two-seat sports car.

2009-07-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Solar house to go on display in Roanoke

Elements of the work-in-progress Virginia Tech solar house entry in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon will be on display in the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke from June 12 to Aug. 23. Students will showcase their house's louvering system, Eclipsis, as part of the museum's "Eclipsis/LumenHaus" exhibition.

The competition, in which universities design and build self-sufficient houses that use only solar power, will be held in October.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/206966

2009-07-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Taubman Museum of Art--New Exhibit Eclipsis/LumenHaus - Through Aug. 17

The museum’s MediaLab will showcase Virginia Tech’s Solar Decathlon Team’s prototype wall system for the team’s entry in the premiere showcase for solar powered home technology. As a Solar Decathlon competitor for the third time since 2002, the team, which consists of forty faculty and students from Virginia Tech’s Department of Architecture and Design, has created LumenHaus, which features computer controlled systems that use an iPhone as the interface. The team will showcase their unique louvering system Eclipsis, designed to react to nuances of the changing light, making the house more responsive to the environment and the individual.

The exhibition also will include a video on the unique aspects of LumenHaus. For three weeks in October of 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy will host the Solar Decathlon, an international biennial competition on the mall in Washington, D.C. in which twenty teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The Solar Decathlon also provides the opportunity for the public to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best in home design. The 2009 Solar Decathlon is the fourth competition since 2002. During each of the past Solar Decathlons, more than 100,000 visitors flocked to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to visit the “solar village.” Through the exhibition, the Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon Team will further its mission to inform and educate the public about issues of energy (particularly solar) while enhancing student education through a design-build process of innovative research and testing through application.

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=31559

2009-07-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech competes in solar decathlon competition

You can thank the sun for drying your jeans, but mind you, they won't hang from a clothesline.
Solar-powered laundry is just one of many requirements Virginia Tech's Solar Decathlon Team must meet this fall.

Started in 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy is sponsoring its fourth Solar Decathlon competition in October. Teams from 20 different universities and colleges reaching as far as Madrid, Spain, must design and build homes that function entirely on the sun's graces.

The teams convene on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to form a solar village clearly devoid of a single idiot. Numerous judging panels award honors in 10 comprehensive areas including architecture, appliance performance, lighting design and market viability.

To succeed in such a vast cross-section of categories, the Solar Decathlon Team is composed of students and faculty from many disciplines: architecture, industrial design, building construction, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and business.

After successful entries in the first two decathlons, Virginia Tech opted out of the 2007 event to concentrate on 2009. Currently under construction, its house has already been invited to Spain next summer to compete in the 2010 Solar Decathlon Europe.

"It's going to do well," said project coordinator and assistant professor in architecture, Joe Wheeler.

In a fundraising effort this past fall, the team conducted a raffle for an electric car previously donated by General Electric Motorcars. "We thought that this was a good way to activate the students and get them engaged with the community," said Wheeler. The car, a GEM e2, is the ideal transport for those with modest daily commutes. The street legal, two-passenger vehicle tops out at 25 miles per hour and 12 horsepower. With just a two-hour charge on a standard outlet, its six 12-volt batteries produce enough juice for 35 inexpensive miles. It costs less than $100 per year to operate.

Wandering the third floor offices of Pamplin Hall, two Solar Decathlon Team students knocked on Frederick Hood's door. Hood, a visiting assistant professor in the Department of finance, bought one $10 raffle ticket.

Months later while cleaning out his desk, Hood discovered the forgotten stub. Somewhere on the paper he misread "January" and, assuming the drawing had passed, tossed it in the trash.
During a March 20 visit to Tech, Preston Bryant, Virginia secretary of natural resources, pulled Hood's winning ticket.

Kevin Schafer, a fourth-year architecture student on the Solar Decathlon Team, washed the car before Hood picked up the keys. Cleaning the small vehicle for his arrival was apparently quite laborious. "I spent a solid four hours detailing that car," Schafer said. "Joe (Wheeler) wanted it like brand new, so I was in there with a toothbrush like scrubbing that thing, literally."
Hood quickly became comfortable with the sparkling car before cruising home. "I just did a little spin in the lot where the (solar) house is," Hood said. The GEM e2 currently rests in Hood's garage while he searches for time to have it registered. "I've tooled around a little bit in the neighborhood," he said, "but I try not to drive it on the street. That would be illegal."
With warm weather on our heels, though, Hood says he'll utilize his electric ride soon. I think he'll garner a reputation around campus, but Hood casually shrugged off such a consequence.
"I don't know if it's cool or not to have one of those," he said. Hood's ticket was one of more than 900 sold, yielding nearly $10,000 for the Solar Decathlon Team. While impressive, the sum hardly places a dent in the nearly half a million dollars needed to realize such a unique project.

The concept of the team's 2009 entry, LumenHaus, is "responsive architecture."
At its core, the 700 square foot LumenHaus is a transparent pavilion with an entirely photovoltaic roof. Large mobile windows on the north and south facades don't have to be barriers. Once the user slides the glass aside, the two deck terraces essentially triple the floor plan's square footage. Parallel with the windows, though, are two motor-controlled wall systems that introduce energy efficiency. Aerogel-infused polycarbonate panels can close to ensure an insulated interior. These panels are 2.5 inches thick and perform better than your apartment walls. A final shading layer controls the degree of light entry. The motors operate via sensors that communicate with computer monitors and controls. Interior and exterior conditions are simultaneously measured, and appropriate adjustments are made according to the user's pre-set comfort levels.

The user will also have the ultimate remote control: the iPhone. Tech's computer science department is crafting an application that will place your home's fate in the palm of your hand.
Among other things, you will be able to move the wall systems, monitor energy consumptions levels, and even control your front door's lock.

At the Research and Demonstration Facility on Plantation Road, students are tirelessly piecing together the house. It's an intensive process, but they seem particularly mindful of the experience's rarity. "It's a built project that I have before I graduate," said fourth year architecture student, Corey McCalla. "When I graduate I don't know what the heck is going to happen. I may not have anything built that's my own for decades."

http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/13639

2009-07-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

Website Launch! We worked with local company Modea to create- www.lumenhaus.com

Experience what it would be like to live in LUMENHAUS for a year through an interactive video. Learn about the technologies and systems that will help you live a brighter way, everyday.

2009-07-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

LUMENHAUS at Summer Solstice Fest

June 20th in Downtown Blacksburg

Come out, meet the team, and learn about LUMENHAUS.

Eclipsis Screen System on Display at Taubman Museum of Art

2009-07-28T08:23:00.001-07:00

A display of LUMENHAUS' Eclipsis Screen System at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke. Open from June 12 to August 23, 2009.

http://www.taubmanmuseum.org/TM_galleries.html

2009-07-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

June 2009 Construction:

-LUMENHAUS exhibit opens at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, VA
-Rough in of electrical and plumbing started
-Students travel to Boston to fill transluscent insulation panels with nanogel at Cabot Corporation
-Bathroom core frame built and set
-HVAC completed
-Roof membrane completed

2009-07-28T08:18:00.001-07:00

LUMENHAUS is on Twitter.

Follow us at @lumenhaus to get information about the house, construction, and information about green technology and advancement.

LUMENHAUS is Virginia Tech's entry into the 2009 Solar Decathlon. LUMENHAUS is a collaborative student research project. Updates by @christinesburke & @amhaley.

http://twitter.com/lumenhaus

2009-07-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

More & less: A greener future at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through improved energy efficiency, reduction of waste, alternative fuels, innovation and education.

BLACKSBURG -- Virginia Tech senior Angie De Soto smiled as she recalled her first Environmental Coalition meeting. In spring 2006, she walked into a room in Tech's Holden Hall to find about 12 students sitting in a circle and talking about the environment. They spoke about plans to build a wind turbine and the importance of starting a paper recycling program at Tech. Subsequent meetings that spring followed the same pattern: few students, few resources, plenty of enthusiasm.

"We discussed a lot of things, but the rubber never hit the road," De Soto said. "We were doing good things, but they were very small, not reaching out to the student body. Nobody knew what the EC was."

With those early experiences in mind, De Soto said she gets excited when she walks around campus now and overhears students talking about improving energy efficiency or expanding recycling at Tech. The coalition's listserv now includes more than 1,200 students. Meetings for the student group typically attract more than 60.

A student leader on several green initiatives, De Soto's e-mail gets clogged with questions from students about recycling or with comments such as, "I'm walking around Squires and I'm seeing incandescent bulbs. Why?"

That growing student awareness and interest in the university's effects on the environment has translated into several campus efforts the past three years, such as energy efficient lighting, the rebirth of a recycling program and trayless dining halls.

Larry Bechtel, the university's recycling coordinator, credits students with calling attention to sustainability issues and the administration with hearing them.

The push for expanding recycling on campus reversed a trend that saw it plummet earlier this decade because of budget reductions. It's up so much this year that Bechtel established an on-campus collection site to decrease trips to the county recycling facility.
Rick Johnson, Tech's director of housing and dining services, credits students with initiatives such as food composting and eliminating trays in the dining halls.

"We made a major commitment to sustainability really two years ago," Johnson said. "And it's not that we were unfamiliar with sustainability, but it wasn't in a priority list. It wasn't our top priority. ... It's become one of their [the students'] top priorities, and because it has it became our top priority."

A document committing the university to make sustainability a top priority for years to come will likely be voted on by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors when it meets June 1. A climate action commitment resolution and campus sustainability plan passed through the university council last month. Both need only the board's approval before becoming official.

"The commitment statement, that's really where the action is," said John Randolph, a professor who chaired the committee that created both documents. "Once the board accepts it, it will be university policy. But the plan itself goes beyond that, and the attempt was to identify what I call prescriptive measures, that is, actions that can be taken to achieve the goals of the commitment. They're kind of ideas, not policies. We see this plan as a living document."

If approved, the commitment outlined in the plan will be the university's biggest accomplishment so far, said De Soto, who served on the committee that drafted both documents.
"Yeah, we can say we're doing all these things, but if we aren't physically on paper and in part committed to becoming a sustainable campus, it's all going to be this disjointed. ... The commitment took us over the line. It took us from small, uncoordinated action to institutional commitment and accountability."

While the plan and commitment are separate, they complement one another and share goals of decreasing the university's greenhouse gas emissions through improved energy efficiency, reduction of waste, alternative fuels, innovation and education. Scientists have connected greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, produced by the burning of fossil fuels, with global warming.

De Soto said there was initial disappointment that Tech President Charles Steger didn't sign the American Colleges & Universities Presidents Climate Commitment when students approached him about it in December 2007. The document has been signed by more than 600 university presidents, including 15 in Virginia. But when Steger explained that he would rather the university make its own plan, with input from students, rather than sign a commitment that he didn't know it could fulfill, they saw it as an opportunity.

The committee to draft the commitment and plan began its work in April 2008. The members' efforts produced a 104-page plan to accompany a commitment that lists 14 goals, including an annual report card and the establishment of a school of sustainability. The group spent much of the spring semester presenting the plans to different university groups and moving it through the governance system.

While it was a lot of work, Randolph thought it was worth it and a more effective way of supporting sustainability than simply getting Steger to sign a national commitment.
"We're in a better position to really do something because we've gone through this process of kind of engaging the university in it," he said.

Goals for expanded recycling and reliance on alternative transportation as well as a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions are laid out in phases so progress can be measured and the university can stay on target. The ultimate goal is for Tech to cut its carbon emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

The plan also takes into account the potential benefit energy savings could have on the university's bottom line. Electricity costs at Tech increased from $8.2 million in fiscal year 2004 to $12.6 million in 2008. Addressing that problem will take a combination of innovative ideas, small sacrifices and simple education.

While the plan puts a lot of faith in innovation for long-term results, the university is already seeing savings from seemingly simple measures. By setting a thermostat to 68 degrees this winter the university saved nearly $200,000 over a period of less than two months. Steam output from Tech's boilers was reduced 15 percent. A similar measure to keep buildings at 74 degrees during warm months is expected to produce more savings.

Other moves won't come so easily. While the university has built more efficient steam tunnels and installed equipment to decrease the toxins emitted by the boilers at its steam plant, the burning coal still emits tons of carbon dioxide into the air each year. For Tech to reach its long-term greenhouse gas emission goals, the university will have to change its heating system, not something that's financially feasible in the short term.

"For the coal boilers, we anticipate they will have served their life by 2025 and we'll begin phasing them out after that," Randolph said. "So, you know, again, that's an example of prospective action, things we could do but we haven't necessarily committed to taking that action."

Randolph, who has taught at Tech for 30 years, said he's seen spates of environmentalism -- brought on by an energy crisis or short-lived political popularity -- come and go among students over the years. But he thinks the current movement will continue to grow and allow Tech to stay focused on sustainability well into the future.

"I think the stars have aligned a little bit," he said. "We've seen energy prices up, we seem to have a high level of agreement that climate change is happening and we need to do something about it. ... Things are moving in a way like never before. And we're seeing also that despite the fact that our economy is in the tank, the investment the government is making through the stimulus or whatever is targeted at this area of sustainable development."

Randolph described Tech's plan for reaching sustainability goals as three pronged: operations and infrastructure changes, academic programs and education and university culture.
De Soto is satisfied that the third prong has developed enough to move Tech forward as a national leader in the movement.

"Tech is not any kind of leader right now," she said. "We have a lot to do. But, at the same time, we really have a lot of people moving in a lot of different directions. ... I think that we're ahead of a lot of campuses in terms of internal support because we took a lot of time to build that kind of support."

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/205817

2009-07-28T08:10:00.001-07:00

Climate action commitment and sustainability plan receive full support from board of visitors

BLACKSBURG, Va., June 1, 2009 -- At today's meeting of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, the board adopted a resolution to fully support the university's climate action commitment — an important step for the university to take in order to become a national leader in campus sustainability.

After a year of community input and review, Virginia Tech has now adopted a 14 point Climate Action Commitment and Sustainability Plan which calls for, among other things, to pursue LEED Silver certification or better for all new buildings and renovations, a 35 percent recycle rate by 2012, specific targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, reductions in electric usage, improvements in transportation efficiency, and many other measurable sustainability goals.
To ensure progress towards goals are met, the university will conduct annual assessments to measure actual progress each year and release these reports publicly.

One year ago, Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger established and charged the Committee on Energy and Sustainability to develop a campus sustainability plan aimed at reducing global warming emissions in everyday campus operations.

“President Steger’s charge to the committee resulted in a lengthy and complicated governance process to develop the commitment and plan, but it was far more effective than if he had simply signed the generic national president’s climate commitment,” said John Randolph, professor of urban affairs and planning and chair of the subcommittee that prepared the plan. “Many universities which have signed the commitment, have little to show for it, but we have our own commitment and a comprehensive plan reviewed and endorsed by the entire university. As a result we are immediately on track toward implementation in three areas: greening our facilities and saving energy, emissions, and money; greening campus culture through student programs, residences, and dining halls; and better coordinating and making more visible our academic programs related to sustainability.”

“It is critical that everyone understand why we made this commitment to environmental sustainability, said Angie De Soto, a senior majoring in environmental policy and planning in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the university’s first sustainability planning intern. “When we first met with President Steger, we explained that climate change is the defining challenge of our generation and that environmental sustainability is the future that Virginia Tech should be striving to invent. Solving these global challenges will ultimately require the participation of every person on this planet. I hope that seeing Hokies take steps to do their part will inspire individuals across the nation to do their part”

Effective immediately, the university will adopt the following 14 goals and action items:
1. Virginia Tech will be a leader in campus sustainability.
2. The Climate Action Commitment and Sustainability Plan will become a part of the university’s broader strategic plan.
3. Virginia Tech will establish a target for reduction of campus greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 80 percent below 1990 emission level by 2050, and interim targets from 2006 emissions of 316,000 tons consistent with the Virginia Energy Plan, the Governor’s Commission on Climate Change, the Town of Blacksburg, and the federal administration: for 2012, 295,000 tons; for 2025, 255,000 tons; and for 2050, 38,000 tons (or 80 percent below 1990 emission level).
4. Virginia Tech will work toward these emission reduction targets though improved energy efficiency, reduction of energy waste, replacement of high-carbon fuels, and other measures identified in the climate action commitment and sustainability plan.
5. Virginia Tech will establish an Office of Sustainability to coordinate programs, oversee the implements on the plan, monitor annual energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and work with faculty with faculty and departments manage a campus-wide student internship and undergraduate research program using the campus as a sustainability laboratory.
6. Virginia Tech will pursue LEED Silver certification or better for all new buildings and major renovations.
7. Virginia Tech will improve electricity and heating efficiency of campus facilities and their operations, including the heating and cooling infrastructure and operation, lighting efficiency, controls and operation, and equipment efficiency and controls.
8. The university will adopt at least four reduction measures in the waste minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition. Virginia Tech Recycling will adopt a goal of 35 percent recycle rate by 2012 and 50 percent by 2025.
9. Virginia Tech will require purchase of Energy Star related equipment, maximum practicable recycled-content paper, and other low life cycle cost products, with exceptions for special uses.
10. Virginia Tech will engage students, faculty, and staff through education and involvement to reduce consumption of energy, water, and materials in academic and research buildings, dining and residence halls, and other facilities.
11.Virginia Tech will improve transportation energy efficiency on campus through parking, fleet, and alternative transpiration policies. Alternative transportation use will increase from the current level of 45 percent to a goal of 52 percent in 2015 and 60 percent in 2020.
12. The university will create and support a virtual Virginia Tech School of Sustainability or similar mechanism to coordinate, develop, and communicate related instructional, research, and outreach academic programs.
13. The university will monitor energy use of greenhouse gas emissions as well as changing internal and external conditions, prepare an annual report card sharing progress toward targets, and periodically re-evaluate targets, making adjustments to targets as appropriate based on changing internal and external conditions and evolving technologies.
14. With regard to all the items in this resolution, major personnel, and investment decisions, including capital projects associated with implementing the climate action commitment and sustainability plan, will be based on a joint review of costs and benefits by university financial and facilities staff and be subject to the availability of funds. Virginia Tech will provide funding to support sustainability programs through a variety of sources, which might include saving from reduced electricity and energy fuels, E&G funds, loans, a Green Development Fund from private sources, and a student Green Fee.

“President Steger’s intent was to develop a climate action commitment that is unique to Virginia Tech and achievable,” said Denny Cochrane, sustainability program manager for the Office of Associate Vice President for Facilities Services. “The 14-point plan pushes the envelope with realistic and achievable goals, and we are already on our way in meeting some of them. For example, the Office of Sustainability was recently established in the facilities services department and includes the sustainability program manager, and energy manager, and a graduate assistant. The successful implementation of the Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment and Sustainability Plan should position the university to be a leader in campus sustainability.”

At the board meeting, Steger praised the many students, faculty, and staff that served on that committee as well as the many student organizations that offered input and support to the planning process.

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2009&itemno=469+

2009-07-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

May 2009 Construction:

Installation of roof parapet Structural Insulated Panels

Fully accessible LUMENHAUS website built and tested

2009-07-28T08:03:00.001-07:00

Students set up a booth at the New River Valley Green Building Tour and Expo to promote LUMENHAUS.

Here architecture students, Alden Haley and Corey McCalla stand with the LUMENHAUS model.

2009-07-28T07:56:00.001-07:00

April 2009 Construction Photo

-Slab ground to a polished finish
-Mechanical closet wall finishes installed
-Mechanical team finished the HVAC layout
-Steel water pump rack fabricated and installed
-Steel beams for Eclipsis System welded to frame -LUMENHAUS website schematic designs and site architecture created with MODEA

2009-07-28T07:54:00.001-07:00

Frederick Hood was selected as the winner of the two-seat GEM e2 electric car produced by Global Electric Motorcars, a Chrysler company.

2009-07-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources, Preston Bryant, visits LUMENHAUS and draws a winner for the electric car raffle.

2009-07-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

March 2009 Construction:

-Pouring of the slab. The following day’s temperature in the teens, structural insulated panels used as thermal blankets
-Installation of wall Structural Insulated Panels
-Installation of roof Structural Insulated Panels
-LUMENHAUS website conceptualization with MODEA

2009-07-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech is one of 20 schools competing in a solar house competition

Published: March 20, 2009
Virginia Tech is the only school in Virginia competing in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon being held in Washington D.C.

A model is complete of the solar house entry for the competition. Virginia Tech is one of 20 schools competing. In October, the house will be judged on 10 different elements.

Cory McCalla, a 4th year architecture student working on the project says there are features that set this entry apart from others, “There are several aspects of our house that have never been done before, such as the concrete floor and the large screens and the computer automation.
About ten thousand dollars was raised for the project, selling raffle tickets for an electric car. A business professor won it in the drawing Friday.

Also, the project gets about one hundred thousand dollars from The Department of Energy and companies also make donations.

http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/new_river_valley/article/virginia_tech_is_one_of_20_schools_competing_in_a_solar_house_competition/31170/

2009-07-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech students compete in energy decathlon

It may not look like much right now, but a three-year project by Virginia Tech students could be the future of energy efficiency.

The students are working on a house that's completely run by solar energy.

It's Tech's entry in the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon.

"All these houses are taken to the mall in Washington, D.C. and for a week they compete in 10 competitions including architecture, engineering, lighting, home entertainment, and energy consumption," say Virginia Tech Student Corey McCalla.

Virginia's Secretary of Natural Resources got a look at the work on Friday.

The house competition in Washington takes place in October.

20 schools from around the world are participating.

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?s=10044441

2009-07-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Secretary of Natural Resources Preston Bryant to tour Virginia Tech solar house, select winning raffle ticket

BLACKSBURG, Va., March 19, 2009 -- On Friday, March 20, Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources L. Preston Bryant Jr. will visit Virginia Tech to tour a solar house being built by students for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

Bryant, who also heads Gov. Tim Kaine’s Commission on Climate Change, will
Tour the Virginia Tech solar house under construction at the Research and Demonstration Facility on Plantation Road at 10:30 a.m.; Attend a lecture at the Ferrari Symposium about the solar house project at the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center at 11:30 a.m.; and
Pull the winning ticket from among the roughly 1,000 tickets sold in the students’ electric car raffle, a fund raiser conducted to help fund the solar house project.

For three weeks in October 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy will host the Solar Decathlon. Virginia Tech is one of 20 international university teams — and the only one in Virginia this year — selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The houses will be assembled and displayed for the competition on the National Mall in Washington D.C., and will be open to the public for touring Oct. 9 through Oct.18, 2009.

The Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon student team and lead faculty — Robert Schubert, associate dean of research; Robert Dunay, the T. A. Carter Professor of Architecture; and Joseph Wheeler, associate professor of architecture — will present the house in its current stage of construction. The structural form, assembled in New Jersey, was brought to Blacksburg using a transport system developed for the 2005 solar house. Recently, the concrete floor was poured comprising a radiant heating system. Other components, such as sliding insulation panels and shutter screens, will advance the theme “Responsive Architecture” in a house that quickly adapts to user requirements and changing environmental conditions. Many items for the house, such as the photovoltaic panels and heat pumps, are in hand and awaiting installation.

Virginia Tech last participated in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in 2005, when the team won first place the categories of Best Livability, Best Architecture, Best Daylighting, Best Electric Lighting, and fourth overall. In addition, the house was the American Institute of Architects (AIA) award for Best House and an award for Excellence in Architecture from the Virginia Society, AIA.

The car being raffled is a two-seat GEM e2 produced by Daimler-Chrysler. It is street legal and, because it uses no gas, costs about $60 per year to operate. The GEM e2 produces no emissions and can be charged on any regular household outlet. Tickets were sold for $10 each; the team raised nearly $10,000 for their project. The raffle winner will be notified by phone and e-mail. The winner will also be announced on the Virginia Tech News website and on the Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon team’s website. The raffle was conducted through the American Institute of Architecture Students.

The Solar Decathlon is an educational project of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is supported by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and event and team sponsors from the private sector. Sponsors of the Virginia Tech solar house include Solar Platinum Benefactor ConocoPhilips and in-kind contributors Häfele and A. Zahner Company. To make a donation to the team, visit the team’s website.

Read about the Virginia Tech Solar House 2005 in the Virginia Tech Research magazine.

Visit the 2009 Virginia Tech team website.

Become a fan of the Virginia Tech Solar Team Facebook page.

Virginia Tech's architecture program, in the School of Architecture + Design, has been recognized as one of America's World-Class Schools of Architecture with highest distinction, tied with Harvard, Yale, and Columbia Universities. The multidimensional ranking by Design Intelligence, the only national college ranking survey focused exclusively on design, is based on five criteria: current rankings by professional practices; historic 10-year rankings by professional practices; rankings by academic department deans and chairs; overall campus environment and student evaluations; and program accreditation.

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2009&itemno=201

2009-07-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

February 2009 Construction:

-Plumbing and wiring chases placed
-Floor heat sensors installed
-Radiant floor system installed
-Agreement with National Building Museum, Virginia Tech Solar House to be part of a sustainability exhibition, to be located on the lawn in front of the institution during the month of September

2009-07-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Grasshopper workshop with Virginia Tech’s solar decathlon team

Hello this is Jennifer Downey from Marble Fairbanks Architects. I did a workshop conducted Tuesday February 10 through Friday February 13 with the Virginia Tech 2009 Solar Decathlon Team in Blacksburg, Virginia. The workshop was structured around designing the solar screen for this year’s entry, with a specific focus on Rhino’s grasshopper. The starting point for the workshop was Zach’s tutorial- Creating Surface Patterns Using Bump Maps Created in Photoshop as an input parameter in Rhino’s Grasshopper. The team also used photographs manipulated in Photoshop, as well as structural input data to create a variety of data-based patterning.

Further within the week, the students also began investigating other uses for Rhino’s grasshopper with panelization and continuing to develop the parameters for patterning- including a pattern alphabet. As their study continues, they will be posting questions, images, and definitions on the forum. Below are screen shots from a definition to create fabrication tabs on irregularly defined triangular surfaces.

Special thanks to all who participated, and to faculty advisers Joe Wheeler and Bob Dunay. Students included Mike Gultneh, Osama Osawa, Lindsey Jones, Alden Haley, Corey McCalla, Christian Truitt, Kevin Schafer, Erin Casey and Sam Boysen.

http://www.designalyze.com/2009/02/16/grasshopper-workshop-with-virginia-techs-solar-decathlon-team/

2009-07-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

Professors Jack Davis and Robert Dunay named Most Admired Educators of 2009

BLACKSBURG, Va., January 15, 2009 -- Jack Davis, College of Architecture and Urban Studies Dean and Reynolds Metals Endowed Professor of Architecture, and Robert Dunay, the T. A. Carter Professor of Architecture and Center for Design Research Director, have been named two of 26 nationally Most Admired Educators of 2009 by Design Intelligence.

Design Intelligence, the only national college ranking survey focused exclusively on design, annually selects educators and education administrators who exemplify excellence in design education leadership for this distinction. The disciplines of architecture, interior design, industrial design, and landscape architecture are included.

Davis became a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) in August 2007 and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) in 1999. He has received design excellence awards from the Blue Ridge Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), as well as from the Virginia Society AIA and the Virginia Masonry Council.
Since 1984, when he began teaching at Virginia Tech, Davis has been principal and co-principal investigator on more than $2.5 million in research grants. He continues to teach in the professional program in architecture. Davis had previously taught at the University of Florida and the Boston Architectural Center. In his professional career, he has worked in Cambridge, Mass., for the architectural firm of Cambridge Seven and Associates. He was the architect for the College of Architecture and Urban Studies Research and Demonstration Facility, a laboratory research center. Davis received a master’s and a bachelor’s in architecture from Virginia Tech.

Dunay is a member of the AIA and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). He has previously served the college as an associate dean and director of industrial design. He is a primary faculty advisor for the 2002, 2005, and 2009 Virginia Tech entries in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition. Dunay’s most recent research centers on innovative fabrication techniques and processes. Exhibitions of industrialized furniture and material presence have been presented at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, and the Cologne Furniture Fair.
His recent awards include the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) Prize for creative collaboration between the academy and the profession; an International Design (ID) magazine award for innovative concepts; and the Virginia Tech Xcaliber Award for innovative technology. Dunay’s professional work has been published in national and international journals and has received five awards for Excellence in Architecture from the Virginia Society AIA. Recent contributions include testimony before the U.S. Congress regarding national energy issues and a unique challenge involving the design of a house for ABC TV’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The project was designed in one week, built in five days and includes design research integrating innovative building assemblies and architectural space.

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2009&itemno=3

2009-07-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

The steel frame arrives at the Research and Demo Facility in Blacksburg, VA (Home of the Virginia Tech Hokies) in December 2008.

2009-07-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Fall 2008: The team visits Kullman Buildings Corporation to view construction of the structural steel frame and presents the project to several firms in NYC for critique. Summer Productions, a sub-contractor for the Discovery Channel follows along to firm for the solar house documentary.

2009-07-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

Solar Decathlon project to hold electric car raffle

BLACKSBURG, Va., November 17, 2008 -- Students designing and constructing a solar house for the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition are raising funds for their project by raffling an electric car.

The car is a two-seat GEM e2 produced by Dailmer-Chrysler. It is street legal and, because it uses no gas, costs about $60 per year to operate. The GEM e2 produces no emissions and can be charged on any regular household outlet. Tickets cost $10 each; only 2,000 will be sold.
The raffle tickets may be purchased with cash or checks, and are available in 202 Cowgill Hall during business hours; by contacting Allison Ransom, Solar Decathlon team member; and at the following locations and times:
Nov. 21, 7-10 p.m., at Big Al’s in downtown Blacksburg;
Nov. 22, 3-8 p.m., at Big Al’s in downtown Blacksburg;
Nov. 28, 7-10 p.m., at Big Al’s in downtown Blacksburg; and
Nov. 29, 3-8 p.m., at Big Al’s in downtown Blacksburg.

All proceeds will support the team’s Solar Decathlon project. The Solar Decathlon involves 20 international colleges and universities from around the world competing to design, build, and operate a solar-powered house. In October 2009, the houses will be displayed on the National Mall in Washington D.C., and will be toured by the public. Thousands come to event to view the creative and innovative solar homes designed by tomorrow’s architecture professionals.
This Solar Decathlon entry will be Virginia Tech’s third. In 2005, the Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon team won first place in Best Architecture, Best Dwelling, Best Daylight, and tied for first place in Best Electric Light; the team placed fourth in the overall competition. The 2005 solar house is currently on exhibition at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, Va.

The raffle winner will be notified by phone and e-mail. The winner will be announced on the Virginia Tech News website and on the Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon team’s website. If an electric car is not your speed, but you’d like to make a donation to the team’s project, visit the team’s website. The raffle is being conducted through the American Institute of Architecture Students.

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2008&itemno=743

2009-07-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

10 Students were awarded academic fellowships and invited to work on the development of the solar house over the summer 2008.

Over the summer they worked on completing the design of the solar house and produced a visual model.

2009-07-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech to compete in 2009 solar decathalon

WSLS News StaffPublished: February 4, 2008
Virginia Tech hopes to once again show off their prowess to harness the power of the sun. The U.S. Department of Energy selected the Hokies to compete in the 2009 solar decathalon. The event will be held in the Fall, at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The competition involves 20 total universities. Each school’s team will receive $100,000 to design, build, and operate an energy efficient, fully solar-powered home, according to a news release. In 2005, the Virginia Tech team took first place in several categories, and fourth place overall.

http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/new_river_valley/article/virginia_tech_to_compete_in_2009_solar_decathalon/4952/

2009-07-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech to compete in 2009 Solar Decathlon

BLACKSBURG, Va., February 4, 2008 -- The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that Virginia Tech will be one of 20 university teams selected to compete in its fourth Solar Decathlon, which will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the fall of 2009.
The interdisciplinary Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon team will be lead by faculty and students in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies with participation from the College of Engineering and others.

Virginia Tech will be the only university in the Commonwealth represented in the competition. The teams, which have been selected from universities in the United States, Canada, and Germany, will receive $100,000 each from DOE to uniquely design, build and operate an energy efficient, fully solar-powered home for this unique competition. Each home will utilize energy efficient technology and demonstrate that homes powered entirely by the sun do not have to sacrifice all the modern comforts and aesthetics Americans are accustomed to.

The Solar Decathlon gets its name from the 10 specific areas of competition: architecture, engineering, market viability, communications, comfort, appliances, hot water, lighting, energy balance, and transportation. In addition to producing enough electricity and hot water to perform all the functions of a home, from powering lights and electronics to cooking, washing clothes and dishes, each home must produce surplus energy sufficient to power an electric car. The team that finishes the week of competition with the most points wins.

In 2005, the Virginia Tech team, led by the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, won first place for best daylighting, electric lighting, architecture, and livability, and fourth overall.
To be accepted to this competition, university teams were evaluated by a panel made up of engineers, scientists and other experts from DOE and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Teams were required to meet specific criteria, demonstrating their ability to design and build an innovative, entirely solar-powered, 800-square-foot home from scratch, including the ability to raise additional funds and assemble a team necessary to carry the project through to completion.

The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is composed of three schools and the Department of Art and Art History, part of the multi-college School of the Arts. The School of Architecture + Design includes programs in architecture, industrial design, interior design, and landscape architecture. The School of Public and International Affairs includes programs in urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy, and government and international affairs. The Myers-Lawson School of Construction, a joint school of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of Engineering, includes programs in building construction and construction management. The college enrolls nearly 2,000 students offering 24 degrees taught by 153 faculty members.

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2008&itemno=52

2009-07-28T07:03:00.001-07:00

Following the U.S. Department of Energy 2007 Solar Decathlon, an internal design competition was held within the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. Students from varying backgrounds and majors were encouraged to enter in the competition to build upon the lessons of the 2005 Virginia Tech Solar House.

Here is the lead project coordinator, Joseph Wheeler, speaking about sustainable architecture.

2007 Solar Decathlon Competition Visit

2009-07-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Virginia Tech Solar Team visited the 2007 competition to assist with construction on the Georgia Tech house and get hands on experience in the competition atmosphere.

Here's a picture of their house on the National Mall in Washington, DC.