Affordability And Market Appeal Solar Decathlon Winners!

October 11th, 2013 by Amber Archangel

Originally published on 1Sun4All.

At an awards ceremony on October 10, 2013, 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, reports Solar Decathlon. The following is from the Solar Decathlon blog:

Affordability and Market Appeal Contest Winners Announced!

Photo of the front facade of the DesertSol. | The University of Nevada Las Vegas won first place in the Solar Decathlon 2013 Market Appeal Contest. | Photo credit: Jason Flakes | 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
Kentucky/Indiana from University of Louisville, Ball State University and University of Kentucky, $248,423

The Affordability Contest juror, Richard Anderson, left, speaks with Robert Best from Stanford University during the Affordability Contest walkthrough. | Photo credit: Eric Grigorian | U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

Team Ontario from Queen’s University, Carleton University, and Algonquin College took second place, $257,584
Middlebury College won third place in the Affordability Contest, $263,083

Professional estimator Rich Anderson of Faithful + Gould:

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. 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.

Dining room in the DesertSol. | The University of Nevada Las Vegas won first place in the Solar Decathlon 2013 Market Appeal Contest. | Photo credit: Jason Flakes | U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

Susan Aiello, founder and president of Interior Design Solutions and U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 Market Appeal juror:

The Market Appeal jurors loved the design of this house. The look, the feel, the energy blew us away. Of all the houses we saw, we thought that DesertSol best met the needs and desires of its target market. I’d buy it!

Bedroom in the DesertSol. | The University of Nevada Las Vegas won first place in the Solar Decathlon 2013 Market Appeal Contest.| Photo credit: Jason Flakes | U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

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.

The Solar Decathlon 2013 and XPO are both taking place in Irvine, California through Sunday, October 13.

It’s FREE! Public hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily:

Thursday, October 10 – Sunday, October 13, 2013

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Tags: awards, competition, Contests, Czech Republic, Kentucky/Indiana, Las Vegas, Middlebury College, Norwich, Solar Decathlon, Solar Decathlon 2013, Stanford, Stanford Solar Decathlon, Stanford University, Team Austria, Team Ontario, Teams

About the Author

Amber Archangel -- I am an artist, painter, writer, interior designer, and graphic designer, constant student of many studies and founder of 1Sun4All.com. Living with respect for the environment close at hand, the food chain, natural remedies for healing, the earth, people and animals is a life-long expression and commitment. As half of a home-building team, I helped design and build harmonious, sustainable and net-zero homes that incorporate clean air systems, passive and active solar energy as well as rainwater collection systems. Private aviation stirs a special appeal, I would love to fly in the solar airplane and install a wind turbine in my yard. I am a peace-loving, courageous soul, and I am passionate about contributing to the clean energy revolution.