The project called "SURE HOUSE" by Stevens Institute of Technology team won the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. According to NJBIZ, the team of students and faculty were inspired by the Super storm Sandy that hit the East Coast last 2012 in building a flood resistant home that is also energy efficient. The house is also reportedly strong enough to withstand hurricane's force winds.
According to Yahoo! News, the SURE HOUSE used repurposed materials from the boat-building industry and is designated to be placed on the coastline which happened to make use of the natural lighting and relies on solar energy.
A.J. Elliot, one of the members of the Stevens team said that, "This project was about creating a real, liveable residence for families in coastal communities who will be hardest hit by the effects of climate change."
"The SURE HOUSE ranked highest in architecture, market appeal, communications, appliances, engineering, commuting and home life and received a second-place score in the comfort zone contest," as stated by NJBIZ.
It has been reported that the SURE HOUSE is the third entry of the tech institute in the said competition. John Nastasi, lead faculty for the team said that, "We seamlessly won architecture, engineering, communications and market appeal, the four big juries. No one has ever taken first place in all four juries, it's testament to how well and cohesive the design of this house was."
Getting the award has been worth it for Stevens considering that they planned the project for years and that the designed was made after the students and faculty have witnessed the aftermath of typhoon Sandy.
Nariman Farvardin, President of Stevens, said, "This incredible victory is the culmination of a two-year journey and a testament to the hard work, commitment and ingenuity of the Stevens Solar Decathlon team."
The team got a total score of 950.685 beating more than a dozen of universities around the world.
