Affordability and Market Appeal Contest Winners Announced!
Thursday, October 10, 2013Solar Decathlon
At an awards ceremony this morning, winners of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 Affordability and Market Appeal contests took center stage by demonstrating that innovative, energy-efficient houses can be cost-effective and appealing to a variety of target markets.
The Affordability Contest juror, Richard Anderson, left, speaks with Robert Best from Stanford University during the Affordability Contest walkthrough. (Credit: Eric Grigorian/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)
Three teams tied for first place in the Affordability Contest by earning the full 100 points for achieving a target construction cost of $250,000 or less. The winners are: Norwich University ($168,385), Stanford University ($234,092), and Kentucky/Indiana from University of Louisville, Ball State University, and University of Kentucky ($248,423).
Team Ontario from Queen’s University, Carleton University, and Algonquin College took second place ($257,584), and Middlebury College won third ($263,083).
The winners of the Solar Decathlon 2013 Affordability Contest have demonstrated that innovation in sustainable building can be achieved and implemented in real-world application,” said professional estimator Rich Anderson of Faithful + Gould. “These teams have delivered affordable, livable homes that are also attractive to everyday consumers.”
In the Market Appeal Contest, the University of Nevada Las Vegas wowed the jury and took home first place for its house, DesertSol, which is designed as a luxurious desert vacation retreat for a middle-aged, middle-to-upper-income, active couple.
The University of Nevada Las Vegas won first place in the Solar Decathlon 2013 Market Appeal Contest. (Credit: Jason Flakes/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)
“The Market Appeal jurors loved the design of this house. The look, the feel, the energy blew us away,” said Susan Aiello, founder and president of Interior Design Solutions and U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 Market Appeal juror. “Of all the houses we saw, we thought that DesertSol best met the needs and desires of its target market. I’d buy it!”
Team Austria from Vienna University of Technology won second place in Market Appeal. Tying for third place were Czech Technical University from the Czech Republic and Stanford University.
The Market Appeal Contest evaluates the livability, marketability, and constructability of each house and its appeal within the housing market of the target client chosen by each team. The Market Appeal Jury, composed of professionals from the sustainable housing homebuilding industry, evaluated the responsiveness of the house designs to the characteristics and requirements of these target clients.
Stay tuned for the announcement of tomorrow’s winners in the Communications and Architecture contests.
Tags: Awards, Competition, Contests, Czech Republic, Kentucky/Indiana, Las Vegas, Middlebury College, Norwich, Solar Decathlon, Solar Decathlon 2013, Stanford, Team Austria, Team Ontario, Teams