EVENT: A team of students from the Cockrell School of Engineering and the School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin and the Technische Universität München in Germany will showcase Nexushaus, a modular, solar-powered home they designed and constructed for the U.S. Department of Energy’s international Solar Decathlon competition. Nexushaus will compete this October in California.
WHEN: 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 1.
WHERE: 2112 Leona St., Austin, TX 78722
WHO MAY ATTEND: Open to the public. The location is still a construction site, so visitors should wear appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes.
BACKGROUND: Students from UT Austin and Technische Universität München in Germany have drawn on shared interests to create Nexushaus, an ultra-efficient solar house that aims to reduce water and energy demand even as housing density increases. The team has spent the past two years designing and building the house in preparation for the upcoming decathlon.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon is a competition that promotes the application of solar technologies in buildings. The Nexushaus team, one of 14 selected out of more than 150 initial applicants, will ship the solar home to California in October, where the team’s entry will be judged on a variety of attributes including architecture and engineering, affordability, marketability and performance of home appliances.
The first DOE Solar Decathlon was held in 2002 and has since occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. In February 2014, universities across the nation were selected through a competitive process to compete in the next competition that will take place this October at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. During the weeklong competition, the 20 homes will be open to the public free of charge, giving visitors the opportunity to tour the houses, gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money.
For more information, visit www.nexushaus.com and www.solardecathlon.gov.
