ODU-Hampton unit a finalist in solar home contest

Old Dominion University and Hampton University, working together as Team Tidewater, have been named among 20 finalists in the 2013 Solar Decathlon, a global student competition for designing and constructing environmentally friendly homes.

Architecture and engineering students from the two schools will build what they call Canopy House, a treelike structure featuring a glass ceiling and touch sensors that people with disabilities can use to control indoor heating, lighting and cooling.

Among other finalists in the high-tech contest, held by the U.S. Department of Energy, are two schools from Canada, one from Austria, another from the Czech Republic, as well as ones from Stanford University, West Virginia University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

ODU and Hampton are the only schools from Virginia in the event, though Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia have fared well in past decathlons, held every two years.

ODU and Hampton formed a team two years ago and created a model for urban, green apartment living, known as Unit 6 Unplugged. Their invention finished 14th out of 19 entries at the Solar Decathlon judging in October in Washington.

This time, students will have to build their homes, break them down, pack them up and cart them to California for judging, scheduled for fall 2013.

"We said we weren't going to do it again, especially after so much time and hard work, but then we decided to try," said Mujde Erten-Unal, an engineering professor at ODU and a team leader. "Maybe we're crazy."

She said the two schools learned plenty from their first attempt and plan to apply that knowledge this time around. Finishing construction earlier so they can test the home's environmental amenities is one such lesson, she said.

There is no prize for winning the decathlon - named as such because entries are judged in 10 categories - but participants get college credit for their hours of labor, and many use the experience to bolster their resumes and make professional contacts.

The event is an international showcase for green design and environmental construction, two budding fields in a building industry trying to shift to cleaner alternative energies, more recycling and greater energy efficiency.

Canopy House is based on the principle of "universal design," making it applicable to all people, young and old, disabled and healthy, said David Peronnet, an architecture professor at Hampton who is leading the project.

"Many of these green homes can be loaded with gizmos and gadgets, but the average homeowner can get a little exhausted in trying to control his own house," he said. "We're trying for simplicity, so everyone can utilize the amenities."

Hampton is the lead school in the project, and much of the work will be conducted there, Peronnet said.

Some work, though, could be done this summer in the model home the two schools built during the past two years. The model will be anchored permanently on the ODU campus at the corner of 47th Street and Killam Avenue.

There, ODU intends to establish a studio and office space for promoting energy efficiency and green design.

Scott Harper, 757-446-2340, scott.harper@pilotonline.com