NU Team is Grand Winner of Solar Decathlon Challenge
After months of hard work and qualifying as a finalist, Northwestern University’s team, engiNUity, competed in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2021 Design Challenge on April 18th to not only win 1st Place in the Urban Single-Family Housing Division, but also to be declared the Grand Winner of the Residential Divisions in a subsequent contest among the other first place winners.
NUHome, engiNUity’s design, shows the adaptable and sustainable future of the urban single family home. This ADU-ready home enables a more resource-conscious lifestyle to be accessible as well as plans for the changing future of the urban fabric through the building’s design. A fully contained living unit on the first floor of NUHome provides a space to extend family-housing, quarantine housing, or a space for owners as they age. This space, designed to be an accessory dwelling unit, prepares the home for the increased density of urban living and, diversifies the housing types in the area.
The NU team was among 63 Finalist Teams from 58 collegiate institutions to participate in the Solar Decathlon Competition Event, April 15 – 18, 2021. The Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that challenges the next generation of building professionals to design and construct high-performance, low-carbon buildings powered by renewable energy. Its goal is to blend architectural design and engineering excellence with innovation, market potential, building efficiency, and smart energy production and to prepare creative solutions for real-world issues in the building industry.
To read DOE’s press release, click here.
To view the recording of the ceremony, click here. engiNUity’s presentation to the Grand Jury occurs at 12:52 and the award announcement is at 1:24:22.