Members of Stevens’ Solar Decathlon 2013 team pose on Castle Point. In all, 66 Stevens students from across different disciplines make up the “Ecohabit Team,” which is building a solar-powered house for the international competition to be held this fall in Irvine, Calif. Opposite: A rendering of “Ecohabit House,” the solar-powered house that Stevens will build on the Hoboken waterfront for the Solar Decathlon. The net-zero house will be powered by solar shingle panels and will include a green wall garden, an on-demand hot water system and a sensor system that helps residents better control their energy use.
of the great southern California weather. A “flex room” has a movable wall, and the space can be adapted to be an office, children’s room or caretaker’s room for elderly residents. Students started work on the project in spring 2012 and will have some construction completed for the Innovation DaySenior Projects Expo on April 24. They plan to host open houses for the Stevens community, alumni and the Hoboken community once the house is completed
Visit Ecohabit House at: http://stevens.edu/sd2013/
this summer, says Pollock. An open house will also be held for alumni in California in the fall, when the house makes its crosscountry trip for the competition. In mid-January, about two dozen team members gathered in the Carnegie Building’s third-floor studio classroom to put finishing touches on their designs, as they prepare for volunteer consultants to examine their work to Solar Decathlon members confer with project manager and Stevens ensure their designs are professor Mark Pollock, right. “buildable.” Students work in various engineering teams and on this day, some finalize their cost estimates, while another group watches videos of their competitors’ projects, to make sure that Ecohabit is unique from the pack. Again and again, students mention the enlightening collaboration with disciplines outside their own
and the more accessible communication among team members that this all-Stevens effort provides. Zoe Elliott ’13 praises the “face time” they get with professional engineers and the knowledge gained of how things work in the real world of home construction and engineering. “I love the whole teaching aspect of it,” says Weeks. “We’re learning what architects have to do … we’re getting all aspects of how to build a house.” Students will experience that priceless “ah-ha” moment of building a house, says Pollock, an architect. “This is what I tell students: this is unique, you’re building a house,” Pollock says. “You’re building a house and competing with 19 different universities from around the world.” After the competition, the team hopes to donate the house to an organization in southern California. Alumni who know of a possible beneficiary can contact Pollock at mark.pollock@stevens.edu. The Ecohabit team is also seeking donations of time, financial support and building materials from alumni. For more information, visit the Solar Decathlon 2013 website at http://www.stevens.edu/ sd2013/. ❖ Winter 2012 – 13 25