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When Northwestern undergraduate students began designing their sustainable home entry for the 2017 Department of Energy's "Solar Decathlon" competition, they turned to OLLI members to help them understand the needs and preferences of their entry's target baby-boomer couples. The competition pits 12 collegiate design and construction teams from throughout the country against each other, building full-sized, solar-powered homes. When completed, it will be disassembled and shipped to Denver to compete against the other entries. Later, it will return to Evanston, Illinois for display and eventual sale.
Designed with roof-integrated solar panels, ultra-efficient heating and cooling systems, and photocatalytic surfaces that break down harmful pollutants in the air, the student-led House by Northwestern (HBN) is a showcase of sustainable living.
A ceremonial groundbreaking in June marked the start of a three-month construction plan that will conclude with rigorous testing of the home’s energy-efficient systems. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. on August 23 at 669 Colfax Street in Evanston.
...While the work the students are putting in is already quite impressive, what makes the project even more special is that it is truly made possible because of the backing and participation of so many companies within the AEC realm and beyond. Helping to cover the $250k+ costs of the project are sponsors and advisors like Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture, sustainNU, GAF, FedEx, Thornton Thomasetti, Power Construction and The Hill Group to name a few. Beyond the financial and resource contributions, the firms worked with students to guide their efforts and teach them real world experience to enhance their preparedness to thrive in the field. “We are working with all of these great partners who are giving us all of these products and supporting us and all these people with all this experience helping us out; so we have a strong idea of what the best systems will be for our house,” explains Project Health and Safety Officer Karla Lopez.
When students building Northwestern’s entry into this years Department of Energy Solar Competition research-ed solar panels to run their house, they chose GAF Industries for the roof and Solar World for the panels. That is because GAF engineers have developed a new product called DecoTech which provides special fasteners and interconnected wiring for solar panels that eliminate the bulky frames that used to be needed to mount the panels on roofs. GAF is a manufacturer of roofing materials in North America and DecoTech is its latest roof-integrated solar system. GAF is donating all roofing materials, solar panels and labor to House By Northwestern (HBN).
House by Northwestern (HBN) is Northwestern University’s first-ever entry to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, a competition that “challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.” Upon completion of construction in August, our 1,000-square-foot house will be the most energy-efficient building on campus to date.
... The student-led House by Northwestern (HBN) will be a fully functional home, designed with integrated solar panels, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, and photo-catalytic surfaces that break down airborne pollutants.
Mayor Steve Hagerty, Northwestern University Vice President of Research Jay Walsh, and HBN faculty director Dick Co welcomed a crowd of more than 50 students, faculty, donors, and community members to the empty lot where construction is now underway.
In a matter of months, the gravel-surfaced lot at 669 Colfax Street in Evanston will give rise to Northwestern’s most energy-efficient building.
Designed with roof-integrated solar panels, ultra-efficient heating and cooling systems, and photocatalytic surfaces that break down harmful pollutants in the air, the student-led House by Northwestern (HBN) is a showcase of sustainable living.
Growing up, she wanted to be an artist. Today, Vivien Ng is a 19- year-old Manufacturing and Design Engineering student at Northwestern and the chief interior decorator for House By Northwestern, the University’s entry in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017.
How does a sophomore in college know what retirees want in a downsized home? “Since last fall, I have led focus groups on campus with seniors who are members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), listening, asking them questions and synthesizing all of the information they gave me into a plan of action,” said Ms. Ng.
The sun will not just power one of Evanston’s newest homes; it will also help to clean it.
Designed with roof-integrated solar panels, ultra-efficient heating and cooling systems, and photocatalytic surfaces that break down harmful pollutants in the air and keep surfaces clean when exposed to sunlight, the student-designed House by Northwestern (HBN) is a showcase of sustainable living.
In a twist many aging Evanstonians will appreciate, young Northwestern students are seeking their advice. This year, for the first time, NU is participating in the Solar Decathlon, a competition organized by the Department of Energy for which students design and build a 1,000 square-foot, solar-powered home. Each of the 13 universities participating in this year’s competition have identified their own unique target market around which their house is designed. NU’s team is designing a home for adults in the “Baby Boomer” generation that will serve as a model for aging in place in Evanston.
After months of planning, Northwestern’s first solar-powered home is set to break ground in May.
“We’ve spent a lot of time putting things together on paper and now we actually get to put things together in physical form,” said McCormick junior Bill Bach, the house’s project manager.
Bach said he is most excited to see the house come to fruition.
“I love that you’re just doing things that are actually tangible and will make a difference, so it’s not just an academic exercise,” he said.
With mentorship from a group of local, world-class professionals, the team is designing a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home that is beautiful, highly functional, and entirely sustainable. “House by Northwestern” (HBN) will be 90% more energy-efficient than the average home in the community and will be able to exist completely off the grid. The HBN team will seek LEED Platinum, Passive House, Energy Star, and Living Building certifications for this house.
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 is only eight months away, but the competing teams have been hard at work for more than a year. Competition organizers recently reviewed team design development drawings, which reflect about 90% completion of the design details.
Solar Decathlon 2017 takes place in Denver, Colorado, at the 61st & Peña Station October 5–9 and October 12–15, 2017. So, just what are you going to see there? A few themes are emerging as the student teams’ ideas take shape...
One of the newest construction projects on campus isn’t an academic building or residence hall. It’s a solar-powered house, and it’s being designed by Northwestern undergraduates.
WASHINGTON, DC —The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 student design competition, which challenges collegiate teams to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive, will take place October 5 – 15, 2017, in Denver, Colorado, Energy Department and Denver officials announced today.
The 14 collegiate teams competing in 2017 will focus on creating high-performance houses that reflect current market conditions, innovative building and the best in sustainable living.
In June, Adler invited HBN to participate in Adler After Dark, a monthly 21+ event that allows guests open access to the Planetarium and unique exhibits and entertainment. HBN shared our designs with guests and talked about the importance of building energy efficient homes.
Northwestern University is a finalist in the U.S. Department of Energy's 2017 Solar Decathlon in Denver, Co.
The Solar Decathlon is a biannual event that challenges “collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive.”
Earlier this year, Northwestern was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to compete alongside 15 other universities from around the world in the Solar Decathlon 2017. Northwestern’s team, “House by Northwestern” (HBN), has hit the ground running in designing a fully-functional, solar-powered home conceived and built in collaboration with industry partners. In the fall of 2017, HBN and competitors will unveil their houses in Denver, CO as they compete for $2 million in prize money.
A team of Northwestern students is building a solar-powered house to submit as the University’s first-ever entry to the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2017 Solar Decathlon.
House by Northwestern will be one of 16 selected entries in the competition, which challenges collegiate teams worldwide to design, build and operate solar-powered houses.
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Imagine a beautiful home on the shores of Lake Michigan – large windows looking out at the lake, native grasses adorning the exterior landscaping, and rooftop solar panels soaking up the sun. In fact, this house is so energy efficient that it operates entirely off the grid.
Students and faculty will not only be able to see a home like this on the Northwestern University campus in 2017, they’ll help create it.