Solar Decathlon 2007

Technische Universität Darmstadt: Showcasing the Power of Solar

The winning house from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2007—Made in Germany—has been rebuilt in Dortmund, Germany on Phoenix Lake. It now serves as an information center, as well as a place for research on energy and the local water supply.

Following the competition, the Darmstadt house was first reconstructed in Essen, Germany, for the Deubau Construction Trade Fair. It remained on display there through January 2008. The house then traveled to Stuttgart, Germany, where it was set up on the corporate campus of Robert Bosch GmbH, one of the team’s main sponsors.

The house was then rebuilt on the Technische Universität Darmstadt Solar Lichtwiese area of campus, where it was used as an architecture office, called Soap, for former members of the decathlon team. At the Solar Lichtwiese (light field), the house was surrounded by 34,500 m² (8.5 acres) of land that the university has dedicated to developing clean energy technology. In addition to monitoring the Made in Germany house over a three-year period, Technische Universität Darmstadt is retrofitting older buildings on campus as part of its Solar Lichtwiese initiative. TU Darmstadt decommissioned the home in 2012, and it was moved to Phoenix Lake.

The Technische Universität Darmstadt house demonstrates the essence of sustainability with its oak louvered shutters covered in photovoltaic panels. As an office space, a research project, an energy generator, and an investment opportunity, Team Germany’s winning house has found many ways to achieve success beyond the Solar Decathlon competition.