Solar Decathlon

This house, completed for the 2015 nation-wide Solar Decathlon competition, uses sustainable materials and building methods to create an ecologically friendly and affordable home. Students from several southern California universities collaborated on the design, drawing inspiration from the California state flower: the golden poppy. Like this hardy flower, Casa del Sol opens and closes as it adjusts to the light of the sun in order to passively heat and cool the house, and to promote the indoor-outdoor California lifestyle. This 1000 square foot, net-zero energy house has an open design concept with a flexible floor plan that can adapt and change with the needs of the occupants.

 

Additionally, the drought-resistant exterior landscaping is populated completely with native plants that mirror the natural greenery of the area. A prototype of the design was built by Team Orange County over the course of 10 days for the competition. The project is situated in the Los Angeles Botanical Gardens and is often rented out for weddings.