SolAbode
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Solar home now in top 10
Although they’ve moved up from a 13th place start last week, team members were disappointed that the ENMAX SolAbode home scored 10th in architectural design and 17th for market viability. Today, the team learned it was ninth for communications. "I'm disappointed and frankly a little shocked and puzzled by our score in architecture," says Mark Blackwell, the team's project chair and a U of C business student. "Many visitors to our house tell us we have the best-looking home in the solar village." The SolAbode home features exterior cladding and an interior core of black Rundle stone quarried from near Canmore, a glass “keyway” that runs through the entire home and brings in natural daylight, and a rooftop deck accessible from a staircase lowered from a nook in the living room ceiling. "We remain a very strong competitor," says Matt Beck, project manager and a U of C environmental design graduate student. "We've worked all the bugs out of our home's solar technology and other systems, and we're running great now, feeding surplus electricity into the grid." More than 5,500 visitors had toured the SolAbode as of Monday afternoon, with many lingering to get a photo with RCMP officer Patrick Webb, dressed in full red serge uniform. As part of the contest, the team's two student chefs from SAIT, Sheena Estor and Steven Zak, cooked dinner for eight in the house on Friday night, and hosted a "movie night" on Sunday. Their movie treats—including "truffle popcorn"—were so popular that word spread quickly and more than 20 members of other teams stopped by for a sample. As of today, Team Alberta, which includes students from U of C, SAIT Polytechnic, Mount Royal University and the Alberta College of Art + Design, stood 8th, just 50 behind front-runner Team California. To follow Team Alberta, visit www.solabode.ca. To check the Solar Decathlon standings, visit www.solardecathlon.org. To view a selection of SolAbode photos go to www.flickr.com/photos/solabode/
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October 13, 2009
