Germany wins Solar Decathlon

Green architecture has become a growing industry, changing the urban landscape in many different ways. Everything from roof-top gardens to buildings that utilize environmentally friendly building materials in construction and solar panels for electricity needs have become nearly common-place. The more adventurous of architects have taken pages out of the books of Wright and Gehry in their ambitious visions of futuristic green architecture.  Green business, green architecture, and green living are shaping the ways people live.

There have been competitions devoted to creating comfortable, energy-efficient homes, one of which is called the Solar Decathlon. Teams from around the globe compete to create an ideal, livable home that is energy efficient and focuses on solar energy. The thought is that if architecture can create living spaces that are environmentally friendly on a small scale, it would open the doors for much larger developments of eco-friendly housing. This years’ winner of the Solar Decathlon was Team Germany, with their cube-shaped home design.

From the outside the home looks like any other, save for one feature, that it is covered in energy gathering solar materials. No expense was spared on the design, incorporating all possible solar elements in the attempt to spare it from receiving energy from the power grid. All four sides of the home, the roof and the appliances within were all designed or bought with energy efficiency in mind. It was this idea that led Team Germany to victory, their design producing twice as much electricity as it needed to operate, despite it being a nearly entirely black house. While this may work in cold environments, should such a design be placed in desert/arid conditions the effects of intense heat caused by the black exterior would make the home a bit uncomfortable.

In addition to creating an energy efficient home, all the homes in the competition are sell-able and live-able. For those who enjoy the green lifestyle, such an accommodation should prove to be a solid fit, and will certainly attract a lot of attention from the neighbors.  Green business would clearly benefit from these solar decathlons.