In a nutshell
Team Harmony participated in the SDME (Solar Decathlon Middle East) in November 2021 with the Harmony House, reflecting the Emirati culture and featuring modern technologies. They finished fifth overall, and DEWA awarded them in five sub-contests: BIPV, sustainability, engineering and construction, innovation, and architecture.
Kameleon Solar is a gold sponsor of this project and manufacturer of the two solar facades that are a prototype of a new product currently in development. This revolutionary color technology will allow complete design freedom and high-resolution image quality on multi-colored solar panels.
“I want to express all my gratitude to Kameleon Solar for their support. Thanks for building our dream! We did whatever it takes to reach the common goal and develop the future of sustainability in the UAE.”
Dania Tachouali, Sponsorship Manager / Head of Architecture
Details
BIPV – Colored solar facade
Harmony House features creative applications for solar energy as the aim is to produce a zero-emissions house. It has an inherently interactive structure that provides electricity while creating a solid relationship with the landscape and its closer environment. The double skin BIPV structure acts as a wind tunnel, which acts as a barrier between the PV panels and the interior, thereby cooling it down.
The PV panels on the rooftop and the BIPV can generate up to 17496 kWh per year to cover the Harmony House energy consumption fully. The photovoltaic modules are integrated into the pitched roof facing south and in the facades. The roof system comprises frameless glass-glass modules to reduce dust deposition and guarantee easier cleaning.
The facade system has been adequately dimensioned and designed as a ventilated facade using a simple but effective fastening system. The west and east facades integrate colored solar panels manufactured by Kameleon Solar. The solar facades design reproduces inspiring quotes about sustainability by the national leader His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, represented through artistic calligraphy in a brush of golden, sandy colors. A local artist contributed to the final design, which Kameleon Solar translated into colored solar panels for a beautiful design solar facade, using an innovative technology that allows complete freedom in design and color choice.
Team Harmony
Harmony House is an extension of Team Harmony’s research-led approach. Inspired by the theme of Dubai Expo 2020, “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, Harmony House shows the direction towards sustainable and smart living. Team Harmony’s vision is a modernized Bedouin tent that stands out to serve as a sanctuary for visitors in the desert as a living, gathering, and working space. They strive to create a space that combines the Emirati culture with a green futuristic vision, using modern technologies that target sustainability, energy efficiency, and innovative solutions. Their concept focuses on creating a flow of flexible spaces offering multiple experiences; they designed it after understanding the harmony of nature in UAE, embracing cultural values such as environmental aspects, social integration, lifestyle, and modernized traditions. In addition, team Harmony believes that sustainable buildings are essential to responsibly harvesting natural resources.
Harmony House – a Home for Sustainable Living
Harmony House is a high-performance house that uses the right blend of passive and active design strategies to minimize energy, materials, water, and land use to offer an efficient and comfortable atmosphere. The application of dynamic systems, water conservation methods, smart farming, eco-friendly appliances, and smart technologies to a well-designed home contributes to energy efficiency and reduces the carbon footprint. In addition, Harmony House’s modular structure is made of 100% recyclable materials by implementing previously used modules and recycled assets.
The house interior space is flexible and adaptive to create different experiences, as an abstract representation of the Emirati desert dunes that form different areas adapting to the users’ needs. The movable partitions were inspired by the flexibility of Bedouin tents that can be extended depending on the family size. The house furniture is a selection of contemporary crafts made of natural and recycled materials, empowering women and refugees across the MENA region by showing their talent to the world.
Take a virtual tour of the Harmony House!
Solar Decathlon
Solar Decathlon is an international competition for university students to design, build and operate sustainable solar-powered houses. It’s an intensive learning experience for consumers and homeowners who experience the latest technologies and materials in energy-efficient design, clean energy production, smart home solutions, water conservation measures, electric mobility, high- efficiency, and occupant comfort.
During the final phase of the competition, the teams assemble their houses in an expo area and open them to the general public while undergoing 10 different contests (decathlon). There are three different ways to earn points in the competition: Jury evaluation, Task completion, and Monitored performance.
Solar Decathlon Middle East 2021
The Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) is an excellent platform for testing and displaying materials, components, equipment, and systems developed or improved by participating universities or their research and industrial partners. The SDME integrates unique local and regional characteristics; that’s why the contests have been customized to challenge the teams to adapt their designs to the hot weather in the Middle East. All proposals focus on solving the issues and needs for sustainable living in the Middle East, characterized by high temperatures, high humidity, and severe dust conditions.
SDME 2021 has decided to focus on seven interrelated pillars: Sustainability, Future, Innovation, Clean Energy, Mobility, Smart Solutions, and Happiness. These pillars coincide with the goals of DEWA and the World Expo 2020 and shall be present in all the SDME 2021 houses. The SDME is organized under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council. International teams enter the challenge for the opportunity to win prizes totaling 10 million AED.