University of Maryland Wins Architecture Contest at Solar Decathlon

The University of Maryland has won first place in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Architecture Contest for 2011 with WaterShed! Competition was extremely fierce, with New Zealand claiming second just one point behind the University of Maryland and Team Appalachian coming in third one point short of New Zealand.
According to jury member Michelle Kaufmann, “WaterShed achieves an elegant mix of inspiration, function, and simplicity. It takes our current greatest challenges in the built environment - energy and water - and transforms them into opportunities for spatial beauty and poetry while maintaining liveability in every square inch.”
The design tackles these important issues by managing storm water on-site, filtering greywater, minimizing overall water use and relying on photovoltaic and solar thermal arrays, an effective building envelope and efficient mechanical systems to cut energy consumption.
The second prize entry, entitled First Light, is a modern interpretation of the traditional New Zealand holiday home, the Kiwi Bach; in third place was Solar Homestead by Team Appalachian which offers both indoor and outdoor living areas.
The entries were evaluated based on the scale and proportion of the rooms, façades, indoor/outdoor connections, composition and linking of various elements, comfort for occupants, compatibility with surrounding environment, lighting, energy efficiency, inspiration and documentation.
 

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