Designers from RISD, Brown, and the University of Applied Science Erfurt developed a house that actually generates 50% more energy than it uses.All photos courtesy Kristen Pelou

This summer’s 2014 Solar Decathlon Europe is well underway in France, where a solar-powered village of twenty sustainable homes designed and built by college students from all over the country, has emerged on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. Students from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Brown University, and the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt, Germany, have teamed up for Techstyle Haus, an 800-square-foot house that’s not only a model of energy efficiency but an elegant piece of design as well.  

The structure—which successfully attains the Passive House Standard by using 90% less energy for heating and cooling than a traditional building—is the product of an 18-month-long cross-disciplinary, cross-continental collaboration. “Overall, through classes, workshops and seminars, more than 150 people have touched the project at some point,” says RISD student and team member Allison Chen. “Workshops were held in both Erfurt and Providence, where we designed prototypes. Once construction began we delved deeper into our respective roles—engineering, for example, or architecture or interior design—but we all continued to build the house together.“.....Continue Reading

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