The first prize in this year’s Solar Decathlon Europe went to the Italian team, with its “RhOME for denCity” building prototype.© Team Rhome/Lorenzo Procaccini

Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 16.07.2014

The Rooftop Berlin team came fourth with its building concept for cities. © inhabitat

The OnTop concept is technical and functional, and reached seventh place in this year’s Solar Decathlon Europe. © Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences/OnTop

The building shell of the concept’s Techstyle House consists of a multi-layer textile membrane. This outer skin provides insulation and also captures solar energy, and the living space can be flexibly adapted to families’ needs. © Team Inside Out/Techstyle-Haus

Urban estate concept beats the competition20 teams from 16 countries competed in 10 categories: last weekend, the winners of the international university competition, the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014, were presented with their awards. The Italian team beat the competition with its urban concept “RhOME for denCity” to win the first prize. Unlike most competition concepts, this one is designed for different ways of living, can be adapted to different generations, and is at the same time low-cost. The best German team, Rooftop from the Technische Universität Berlin, came fourth.

20 interdisciplinary teams of students from all over the world took part in the international Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 competition. During the two-week exhibition, the international jury rated the building prototypes from Europe, North and South America and Asia. The competition was already held for the third time, after 2010 and 2012. In previous years, the focus of the competition was still on small, free-standing residential buildings with the energy self-sufficiency as the primary goal. Now, concepts were being sought that contribute to densification in conurbations, energy-oriented refurbishment of existing buildings and the modernisation of the infrastructure with Smart Grids and electric mobility. The submissions were rated in ten categories, such as architecture, technology, components, energy efficiency, energy balance and comfort.

First prize for the Italian city conceptThe Italian team, RhOME, won through against 19 other teams with its concept. The aim of the concept is to refurbish council flats and to construct low-cost, sustainable city areas. The “RhOME for denCity” building concept is a flexible house with 80 square meters of living space, and can be adapted to different family lifestyles. Large north- and south-facing loggias provide natural cooling for the building. Flexible photovoltaic screens are incorporated into the facades and provide energy and shade at the same time. The prefabricated construction is designed to

© Team Inside Out/Techstyle-Haus

The Italian team, RhOME, won through against 19 other teams with its concept. The aim of the concept is to refurbish council flats and to construct low-cost, sustainable city areas. The “RhOME for denCity” building concept is a flexible house with 80 square meters of living space, and can be adapted to different family lifestyles. Large north- and south-facing loggias provide natural cooling for the building. Flexible photovoltaic screens are incorporated into the facades and provide energy and shade at the same time. The prefabricated construction is designed to reduce costs. The building will later become part of a refurbishment project

around the Tor Fiscale on the edge of Rome.

A team from France came second, while the third prize was awarded to the NetherlandsThe second prize was won by the French Atlantic Challenge team with its Philéas concept. The concept comprises living space and offices, as well as a restaurant which is able to grow its own vegetables on the roof of the building. The key element is the glass roof with integrated monocrystalline double-glass modules.The team that came third from the Netherlands follows an environmentally friendly and at the same time sustainable approach with its Prêt-à-Loger design. It aims to cater to the needs of different generations, particularly those of older people.

German concepts for urban building and refurbishmentThe Berlin team reached fourth place with its Rooftop roof pavilion (as reported by the BINE Information Service). The building concept follows the expansion of urban living space. With this prototype, unused living space in roof structures, which were frequently built in a makeshift way in Berlin at the turn of the century, is designed to be turned into energy-efficient, modern living units. The new roof modules can be connected to existing buildings.

The German team from Frankfurt came seventh with its Ontop building concept (as reported by the BINE Information Service). The students combined the refurbishment of inner city living space with the addition of further floors to buildings. This new living unit is completely prefabricated in a light wood design, and is placed onto the roof. Waste heat from the old building can be used in a heat storage system via an exhaust air system using a heat pump. Conversely, the solar energy generated on the raised roof surface benefits everyone: Solar heat and solar power can be used throughout the building, or to recharge electric cars.

The team of students from the Erfurt University of Applied Sciences pursued a rather different path. Together with the American universities, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Brown University, they developed the Techstyle House project. The shell of the 75 square-meter pavilion with a passive house standard consists of a multi-layer textile membrane. This outer skin provides insulation and captures solar energy, and the living space can be flexibly adapted to families’ needs. The team reached 14th place.

For more information on this year’s competition, go to the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 website and the web portal of the EnOB research initiative.

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