Solar Decathlon 2009

Rice University: Transforming the Row House for Modern Living

From the beginning, the Rice University team planned to donate its U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009 house to Project Row House, a neighborhood-based, nonprofit art and cultural organization in Houston's Third Ward.

The Rice University team designed its house for this purpose. The ZEROW HOUSE would not only produce as much energy as it consumed, but it would also embody qualities typical of the row houses found in Houston's Third Ward community. These include:

• Small
• Affordable
• Constructed of local materials.

The typical row house or "shotgun" house is long and narrow, with rooms connecting one after another from front to back. This design was often used in high-density, 19th-century urban neighborhoods found throughout the southern United States. ZEROW HOUSE adapted the modern solar house to this historic typology so it would suit its intended destination.

ZEROW HOUSE joined the Project Row House neighborhood—which consists of 40 properties that house artists, exhibits, low-income office space, and other community essentials—in November 2009. It was then connected to electrical, water, and sewer systems while awaiting a certificate of occupancy from the City of Houston.

During the reconstruction phase, ZEROW HOUSE hosted numerous tours for interested individuals, organizations, architects, and conference attendees. Ultimately, it will provide a home to a Project Row House artist in residence. This occupant will work with Rice faculty and students to monitor the house and its systems over the next year, thanks to a grant from the Shell Center for Sustainability.

Content Last Updated: August 17, 2010