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“RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN SOLAR HOME IN SOLAR DECATHLON 2005” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S11303-S11304 on Oct. 7, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN SOLAR HOME IN SOLAR DECATHLON 2005
Mr. REED. Mr. President, from October 7 through October 16, 2005, the National Mall will be transformed into a solar village. The Solar Decathlon 2005 will showcase 18 solar homes designed, built, and operated by university teams from across the United States as well as Canada and Spain. Each of the university teams chosen for the decathlon competed in 10 contests that measured the aesthetics and livability of the solar homes as well as their capacity to provide lighting, heat water, and run household appliances, including a TV, refrigerator, and computer. Each team demonstrated the ability to power an electric car from the energy harnessed by the solar home--an important achievement in this day of skyrocketing fuel prices. I am proud that the Rhode Island School of Design, known as RISD, is among the 18 participating teams in the Solar Decathlon.
The first Solar Decathlon, held on the Mall in 2002, received more than 100,000 visitors. The decathlon, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, aims to educate policymakers and the public about alternative energy sources to improve building design and quality of life. The competition motivates participating teams to use cutting-edge solar technologies, renewable materials, and energy-efficient building principles so that these features will become part of the mainstream of home design.
RISD's solar home is a team effort on the part of more than 60 students and seven departments from both the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University. The team was led by architecture faculty members, William Yoder and Jonathan Knowles. These students worked for 2 years on the production of an environmental and energy-smart home design while taking classes specifically geared toward this end. Last week, they transported their solar home to Washington, DC, for assembly on the National Mall.
The principle behind RISD's design is to incorporate high-tech solar technologies with low-tech materials that increase energy efficiency. Through this combination, the students illustrated that designers and homeowners do not need to be well-versed in complex technologies to incorporate solar into their homes. Furthermore, many of the materials used in the RISD solar home, while having high insulation values, are reclaimed--an effort on the part of the Rhode Island team to reduce construction waste.
As a design school, RISD was concerned about the attractiveness of the materials and design principles, which will improve the marketability of solar home features. Function and aesthetics led the team to incorporate both a roof garden and a louvered skin. The louvered skin is adaptable, so as to reflect heat during the day and keep in heat during cold nights. Moreover, the skin provides
``chameleon-like'' color variations and graphics that add to the home's artistic style as it tracks the cycle of the sun. The roof garden brings an element of tranquility to the home's design but is also a smart use of space for a home designed for an urban setting where a lawn is hard to find. This element is one that illustrates the team's goal to blend the boundary between home and environment.
The Rhode Island team also created a home that is adapted to its surroundings. Since the home was designed as an urban dwelling, it uses a north/south orientation, allowing for the home to receive ample lighting if serving as a townhouse between adjacent homes. The RISD team took into account the expansion of its townhouse style to a community scale. With the addition of mirrored or identical units, the entire lot would collectively become more energy efficient. Furthermore, the variations in how these modules fit together would create open spaces that provide a private haven when juxtaposed against an urban backdrop.
The Rhode Island team applied great effort to the design of the
``mechanical core'' that runs the heating, cooling, plumbing, and electricity of the house. Centrally located, this unit minimizes the need for ducts and piping throughout the home, thereby increasing energy efficiency throughout the structure. RISD's house is so efficient that it produces enough reserve energy from the sun that it will be able to power a car.
Upon conclusion of the competition, several teams will offer the homes that they designed and built for educational or living use. The RISD students intend to transport their solar home back to Providence, RI, where it will serve as an example of smart building design for the community.
The Solar Decathlon offers an opportunity to witness first hand the ingenuity of the participating teams and the innovative solutions available to Americans to reduce our energy demand and propel us on a cleaner and sustainable energy path. Visitors to the solar village will be able to tour each of the 800 square-foot homes and ask the students questions regarding their solar design and technology choices. Workshops are scheduled throughout the week for visitors to learn how to incorporate into their homes both active and passive solar energy, improved energy efficiency technologies, and biobased products. My sincere congratulations to the Rhode Island team for a job well done.
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