28. Jun 2010 - Solar Decathlon Europe: Rosenheim and Stuttgart in second and third place

Abstract

Yesterday, the winners of the Solar Decathlon Europe were announced in Madrid. After ten days of construction with unusually severe rain, the 17 international university teams had to contend with numerous individual disciplines and comprehensive measurement evaluations during the ten days of competition. The winners of the international building decathlon have now been announced: The university team from Virginia (USA) won first place, while the German university teams from Rosenheim and Stuttgart were respectively awarded second and third place.

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The results could hardly have been closer: The building designed by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University was awarded a total score of 811.83 points in more than 30 individual disciplines. Ranked second was the building from Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences with 810.96 points. This building won first prize in the individual contests of “Electrical Energy Balance” and “Appliances and Functioning”, as well as third prize for its architecture and an extra prize for the lighting concept. Third place went to the building from Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences with 807.49 points. The building from Stuttgart also achieved first prize in the individual contests of “Innovation” and “Engineering and Construction”.

The Solar Decathlon Europe 2010 competition was organised by the Spanish Ministry of Housing in cooperation with the US Department of Energy. Approximately 190,000 people visited the “Villa Solar”, the site of the Solar Decathlon Europe 2010. Four universities from Germany took part in the competition: the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (10th place), the Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences (2nd place), the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences (3rd place) and the University of Wuppertal (6th place). The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology acted as patron for the German competitors and funded the university projects as part of its energy research programme.

A total of 17 universities from Europe, America and Asia vied to build the best home of the future with their individually developed, innovative prototypes. The scores awarded were weighted in accordance with quantitative and objective criteria on the one hand and qualitative and subjective requirements on the other. The rules of the Solar Decathlon Europe are based on the original US competition rules. Included in addition are assessment scores for innovation and the sustainability of the concept.