NYIT's Open House - Solar Decathlon 2007

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New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) is one of 20 colleges from around the globe, and the only school in the New York metropolitan area, selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to compete in the 2007 Solar Decathlon.

The Solar Decathlon takes place on the National Mall in Washington D.C., Oct. 12 - 20, 2007. The competition features teams from 13 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Spain, and Germany.

All structures will be completely powered with stored energy from the sun. Teams are judged in 10 categories, ranging from architecture, livability, and comfort to how effective the home is in providing energy for heating and cooling, hot water, lights, and appliances. Teams are also required to produce and use enough electricity to power a street-legal, commercially available electric car.

Entries are restricted to a maximum 800-square-foot solar envelope. This solar envelope includes the total square footage of the house and additional square footage of any overhanging solar panels. The houses must have a minimum of 450 square feet of conditioned interior space, measured according to the total interior floor area.

OPEN House, NYIT's entry in the 2007 Solar Decathlon, is designed to be easily transported and deployed, and is versatile enough to accommodate a variety of lifestyles and environmental conditions.

OPEN House's design consists of two main structures joined together along an east-west axis. The custom-made manifold core structure contains the mechanical and electrical systems, as well as the kitchen, bathroom, and storage area. The 40-foot by 12-foot “open space” structure, or adjustable living area, allows inhabitants to freely arrange and manipulate their environment and furniture elements. The windows on the south wall provide natural lighting and virtually connect the occupant to nature.

NYIT's solar home will feature “smart house” technology, an automation system that enables residents to electronically control windows, lighting, temperature, appliances, and more. It also teaches occupants how to properly maintain the house.

NYIT’s interdisciplinary approach to the competition brings together more than approximately 75 academically talented undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds. This collaborative effort connects students studying architecture, interior design, engineering, communications arts, marketing, and culinary arts. A core group of NYIT solar decathletes are enrolled in classes specifically created for the Solar Decathlon.

The projected budget to construct NYIT’s Solar Decathlon house is approximately $400,000 (including construction equipment, transportation expenses for the house and students, and hotel accommodations for students in Washington, D.C.). A marketable prototype of the competition house is estimated to cost $220,000. The prototype is less expensive because it does not include systems and features that have been custom-designed for the competition house.

The home is being constructed in the Midge Karr Fine Arts Design Center parking lot on NYIT's Old Westbury, N.Y., campus. When completed, it will be dissembled and transported to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where it will be reassembled, displayed, and judged.

In Washington, D.C., OPEN House will be on display in the “solar village” and open for public tours 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on weekends and 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on weekdays, except for Wednesday, Oct. 17, when all homes will be closed for judging.

Before taking a student-led guided tour of OPEN House, visitors will have an opportunity to view a 3-D animation presentation that explains the unique design aspects of NYIT's solar home.

This is NYIT's second time competing in the Solar Decathlon. In 2005, NYIT captured fifth place out of 18 teams. The team took third place in the highly competitive architecture contest.

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