Building the World's Best Solar Home: FutureHAUS Dubai
October 2, 2017
A+D students and faculty are building FutureHAUS Dubai, a net-zero energy home incorporating new methods of prefabrication, technology, and sustainability. The Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon Middle East team, composed of 30 students and 18 faculty from four colleges, 14 disciplines, and seven countries, is the only U.S.-based group selected for the intercollegiate global competition to build the world's best solar home. They have initiated a crowdfunding site, "Virginia Tech FutureHAUS Dubai," on the university's JUMP platform to encourage supporters to invest in the project. In November 2018, the team will travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to compete against 22 universities from 16 countries. In a series of 10 contests, the team must demonstrate that FutureHAUS Dubai is the most efficient, well-designed home, generating more energy than it consumes.