Unlike a fast paced NCAA basketball game, academic games are tortuga-paced. For the last 15 months, team ASUNM -- Arizona State University and University of New Mexico -- has taken on the game challenge to design, construct, transport and operate a fully solar-powered house. The objective is to bring this house to the 2013 competition site of Orange County Park, CA. 20 teams from around the world and the US converge with their houses October 2013 to compete in ten categories: Architecture Contest, Market Appeal Contest, Engineering Contest, Communications Contest, Affordability Contest, Comfort Zone Contest, Hot Water Contest, Appliances Contest, Home Entertainment Contest, Energy Balance Contest. The essential game is to construct a house combining affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.
The Department of Energy along with many other large sponsors and the committed support of the home universities are required to make this extensive competition successful. The University of New Mexico and Arizona State University are competing for the first time in the competition’s 13-year history. Our early scheme is predicated on the similar demands on houses in both the Phoenix and Albuquerque deserts, which is shade. Quite animatedly, SHADE stands for Solar Home that Adapts for Desert Equilibrium. Energy is conserved when the interior temperatures of a home is lowered due to the solar orientation away from radiant heat of the days' sun.
Our scheme consists of the integration of interior, exterior, architectural and technical concerns. The most visible feature is the large photovoltaic cladded canopy that generates power and shades the large part of the house during the day. Hence, the name SHADE. A series of well planned outdoor areas extend the living space. Careful plant selections and placement allow for the minimal use of water and ultimate enjoyment of vegetation and deck surfaces. The fictional inhabitants, an active boomer couple, can fully enjoy the temperate weather during most days in the year. Greater flexibility is achieved by limiting fixed walls and activating furniture to help define space. For example, the office can turn into a grandchild's guest room. The kitchen and dining area are made fluid for large parties with extending and retracting adjustments of the furniture. An innovative Phase Change Material based heating and cooling system is utilized to efficiently climatize the interior spaces. The exterior of the house is cladded with wooden louvers to further reduce the radiant heat transmission during the hottest of months. The exterior walls are well insulated and high performance glazing systems allow for the assemblage to isolate heat and cool effectively. The entire house is well wired with smart technologies where the use and reduction of energy is monitored.
The house is currently under construction with the aid of ASU and UNM students and experts in Phoenix. The house will travel on several trailers to Irvine for the competition. The students will trail the house there and reassemble the house on the site of the competition. The competition days are an opportunity for the community to view the exhibitions of the latest design concepts, innovations in solar technologies, integration of mechanical systems, landscape ideas and the overall competence of communication skills of the student decathletes. This is a celebration of the emerging intelligent workforce in the design technology disciplines.
This competition has allowed UNM student decathletes to connect to many of the technical and industrial organizations in Albuquerque. The team has had opportunities to intern and work closely with PNM, Sandia Labs, UNIRAC. The students and faculty have had opportunities for research and extended learning. The students that are leading and serving the project are exposed to the leadership of the university as well as related solar organizations. These students are granted opportunities for research and development of project ideas with faculty that have emanated from the SHADE house.
It takes a village to raise a barn, or raise a project. The community of Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico have supported us through the project. They continue to rally to make opportunities for our state's smartest and brightest.
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