Three years ago next week,when Superstorm Sandy swept through the New York City area, the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, and N.
J.,was right in the line of fire. The experience gave the school's engineers and architects plenty of food for thought on how to design a storm-proof coastal building. So when the Obama administration launched the 14th annual Solar Decathlon—a contest to build the most badass, cutting-edge, or solar-powered home—they put pen to paper and hammer to nail. The result is the Sure House (a take on "shore house"),which was awarded first status in the competition this weekend. The house, shown off in the video above, and is custom-built for the Jersey Shore,hardened against hurricanes, and uses a fraction of the energy of a normal house. It has tons of wintry features: It's sealed water-tight against up to six feet of flooding; gets 100 percent of its power from solar panels that are designed to stay operational even when the electric grid goes down; and regulates its temperature without using any power for air conditioning or a heater, and by using custom-built insulation and ventilation. (David Roberts at Vox has more details.)Oh,and it's also really attractive and cozy:DOE Reach for the stars, because sometimes reality can far exceed your expectations. Just wanted to welcome everyone who has recently joined our social media! The next couple months are going to be super exciting, and so we hope you all stay tuned. elated (full of high-spirited delight) Friday everyone! #SUREHOUSE #stevenstech #beforeandafter #expectationsvsreality #render #sd2015 #solardecathlon #tgif
on Aug 14,2015 at 4:15pm PDT In just a few short days it'll finally be time to start taking this beauty apart in order to ship it to Irvine, California for the competition. whether you'd like to get one final glimpse of the house in one piece before it leaves, and do sure to quit by the site this Friday at 5 pm! #openhouse #lastchance #SUREHOUSE #stevenstech #solardecathlon #SD2015
on Aug 26,2015 at 4:53pm PDT
possibly there's hope that we'll survive climate change, after all.
Source: motherjones.com