Our solar facades triumphed in the Solar Decathlon competition
We are very proud of our award-winning solar facades; both teams we sponsored made a victorious return from Wuppertal to the Netherlands. Furthermore, we congratulate all the decathletes of the Solar Decathlon Europe 21-22, a competition that challenged sixteen universities worldwide to design, build and monitor a self-sufficient, solar-powered house. The Solar Decathlon’s ultimate goal is to foster a sustainable way of building and living.
VIRTUe’s ColorBlast® belt and facade and SUM’s ColorBlast® Design facade are two successful examples of how BIPV (building-integrated photovoltaics) can dramatically improve the energy performance of a building while making it look desirable at the same time.
BIPV facades, in particular, have numerous advantages, especially in cities, like leaving more space on the roof for other activities and installations and providing a more balanced energy generation throughout the day. Learn more about the benefits of solar facades.
Team VIRTUe’s ripple won 2nd prize and the prestigious Solar Award
The ripple has started, and it is already spreading. The enthusiastic team from TU Eindhoven delivered an outstanding performance, which resulted in the many prizes they were awarded throughout the competition.
Solar Decathlon sub-contests awards:
- 1st place House Functioning;
- 2nd place Urban Mobility;
- 3rd place Sustainability;
- 3rd place Communication, Education, and Social Awareness.
Out-of-competition awards:
- 1st place Solar Award, by International Solar Energy Society (ISES) & the Solar Heating and Cooling Programme International Energy Agency (SHC);
- 1st place Mirke Choice Award, by Mirke District Residents;
- 1st place German Sustainable Housing Award, by Federal Association of German Housing and Real Estate Companies (GdW);
- 2nd place Green BIM Award, by Association of German Engineers (VDI), buildingSMART Germany, and the BIM-Institute of the University of Wuppertal;
- 2nd place Human Centered Interior Architecture Award, by Association of German Interior Architects (bdia).
Team SUM’s prototype won 3rd prize and the Building for Future Award
The TU Delft student team came third with SUM’s prototype. Never before had a university finished three times in the top 3 in such an international competition. The Symbiotic Urban Movement demonstrated that low-impact living is also made possible by an “energy-positive topping”.
Solar Decathlon sub-contests awards:
- 1st place Affordability and Viability;
- 2nd place Energy Performance;
- 3rd place Sustainability;
- 3rd place Urban Mobility.
Out-of-competition awards:
- 1st place Building for Future Award, by Local Council of Skilled Crafts Solingen-Wuppertal and the Chamber of Crafts Düsseldorf;
- 1st place Green BIM Award, by Association of German Engineers (VDI), buildingSMART Germany, and the BIM-Institute of the University of Wuppertal;
- 2nd place Timber Construction Award, by Cooperation of Timber Construction Associations;
- 3rd place German Sustainable Housing Award, by Federal Association of German Housing and Real Estate Companies (GdW).
Check our portfolio to know more about these young forerunners in sustainability and their disruptive solutions, which we are so happy to have invested in.