Illinois Solar Decathlon

The 2007 Solar Decathlon Competition is the third competition held and the first time the University of Illinois competed in.[7]

The concept for the University of Illinois' Solar Decathlon Team's 2007 house is a flexible modular system that can provide utility-independent housing for temporary or seasonal use.[8] Beyond the goal of winning the competition, Illinois hopes that its final product can serve as a model for emergency housing situations such as those experienced by citizens of the Gulf Coast as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Immediately following success in the 2007 competition, ISD began work on the 2009 competition entry. The primary concept of ISD's 2009 entry, named Gable Home, is to create a synthesis between innovative technology and vernacular Midwestern architecture.[9] This synthesis results in a synergetic relationship between the two, creating an environmentally sustainable home of the future. The design exhibits a strong preference for reused/reclaimed materials over the production of new material. The siding of the house was reclaimed from a barn being deconstructed in Rockford, Illinois. The decking material was salvaged from a demolished grain silo in Champaign, Illinois. Restoring and repurposing material from farm structures strengthened the overall design emphasis on local vernacular architecture.[10]

For the 2011 Solar Decathlon competition, Team Illinois has designed the Re_home. For rapid assembly after a natural disaster, the solar powered home will demonstrate how environmentally aware living can be brought to the forefront of a community-led recovery effort.[11] Through a carefully thought out process the Re_home can be pre-constructed and quickly deployed immediately following a natural disaster.

When called upon, the house mobilizes quickly from its constructed location towards new communities. Upon arrival the house is assembled within several hours. Once sealed, the home becomes a livable space the day it arrives, providing new shelter for disaster victims. During the days following delivery the rest of the house can be assembled by members of the community. Pre-installed adjustable solar panels provide renewable energy quickly, and prefabricated modular decks, planters, and canopies ease installation of all exterior elements of the home.[12]

The 2011 competition team was led by Dr. Xinlei Wang, Ph.D. and Mark Taylor, AIA.[13] To complement the leadership, members from the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) joined the team, including David Weightman, James Anderson, Joe Harper, Sarah Taylor Lovell.[13]

The 2013 Solar Decathlon Competition featured the first ever Solar Decathlon competition held in China.[14] For the 2013 competition, Illinois Solar Decathlon from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign designed their project in collaboration with Peking University in Beijing. The international team hopes that their house will increase public awareness for solar technology and promote low-carbon development.[14]

Etho is centered around a feeling of solace; an urban oasis. It meets the Chinese market’s need for a refuge from overcrowded cities and inspires the Chinese public to see the potential in a high-quality sustainability.[15] Ethos’s design philosophy is centered on creating a better future, creating a link to China’s rich past, and sculpting a home perfectly suited to meet the needs of its inhabitants. Designed for the next generation of young families as a sustainable getaway, this solar-powered home will demonstrate how educating one influential demographic can help to spread awareness of environmental sustainability and energy.[15] Its design emphasizes natural daylighting and maximizing solar gains on the PV arrays.

Similar to the 2011 competition, the 2013 competition team was also led by Dr. Xinlei Wang, Ph.D. and Mark Taylor, AIA.[16] Mike McCully, a professor at the Illinois School of Architecture, joined the leadership and assisted in the architectural aspects of the project.[16]

The 2017 Solar Decathlon Project will be led by Ryan Christiansen, Assoc. AIA and John Essig, LEED GA.

Members of the 2015 ISD Race to Zero competition team meeting with architectural firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, LLP in Chicago, IL to work on their project.

In the fall of 2014, ISD commenced work on the 2015 Race to Zero Competition. Previous 2013 Solar Decathlon member, Matthew McClone, LEED AP BD+C, who worked on the 2013 SD project, Etho, was selected to lead the 2015 Race to Zero Competition. The architectural aspects of the project were headed by Ryan Christiansen. Other notable team members include Priscilla Zhang, LEED GA, Robert Moy, Assoc. AIA, Sean Killarney, LEED GA, and Kasey Colombani. The concept of ISD's 2015 Project was a theoretical deep energy retrofit based on a cottage located in Allerton Park, located in Monticello, Illinois.[17] The name of the project is called Sun Catcher Cottage.[17] The project was then presented in Golden, CO on April 18–20, 2015. Illinois Solar Decathlon was awarded the Grand Winner Finalist during the competition.[18][19]

An aerial view of the existing 3-story apartment building renovated by Illinois Solar Decathlon as part of the 2016 Race to Zero project.

In the fall of 2015, ISD returned to enter the 2016 Race to Zero competition. For the 2016 competition, several key members of previous years' 2015 competition team transferred to focus their work on the 2017 Solar Decathlon competition. Amir Amizadeh, Assoc. AIA, LEED GA and Vasco Chan were selected as the Lead Project Manager and Assistant Project Manager, respectively.[20] Previous 2015 R20 architecture team member Robert Moy, Assoc. AIA was promoted to Competition Lead and one of the Project Managers for the 2016 competition, while previous 2015 R20 member Priscilla Puchun Zhang was promoted to Architecture Team Lead.[20] The team’s 2016 contest entry proposed a deep retrofit of an existing 3-story ~4,000 sq. ft. student apartment building located in Urbana, IL near the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The new proposal for the 1920s 3 story building has eight rental units, featuring two, three or four bedrooms each.[5] The team aimed for an overall integrated design, seamlessly unifying certain building systems, such as lighthing, HVAC, architectural details, materials and finishes.[6] The ISD team won 2nd place overall in the 2016 competition, which was held on April 16–17, 2016.[21]

Judges during the 2016 Race to Zero Competition commended ISD for their use of an existing maintenance shaft that was converted to allow natural ventilation.[22]

Following success in the 2015 and 2016 Race to Zero competitions, members of ISD reconvened to enter the 2017 Competition. In the 2017 competition, the team will be led by Lead Project Manager Robert Moy, Assoc. AIA and Michael Najder, Assoc. AIA, LEED GA.[2]