FutureHAUS Dubai takes shape at Virginia Tech’s Research + Demonstration Facility

On November 14-28, 2018, Virginia Tech will compete in the Solar Decathlon Middle East as the only U.S.-based team in a competitive pool of 21 universities worldwide.

With FutureHAUS Dubai, Virginia Tech builds on 16 years of faculty-student research in solar home design, modular construction, and smart home technology. The team has created a solar home that shows the power of research, the importance of collaboration, and that serves as a model of design, efficiency, and affordability for Dubai and for future homes worldwide.

This year’s competition – launched by the United States Department of Energy and the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai Electricity & Water Authority – tasks teams with building a grid-connected solar home that performs optimally in Dubai’s harsh desert climate and also supports the city’s bid to have the world’s smallest carbon footprint by 2050. In a series of 10 contests, the students must prove their home exceeds stringent criteria – ranging from the innovation and efficiency of its architectural design, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems, to how well it generates the energy required to execute everyday tasks like cooling, charging an electric car, doing laundry, maintaining a consistent refrigerator temperature, and cooking meals.

read more about the project here 

HBA is proud to be sponsoring the trip expenses to Dubai of two of  the student design-builders.