Team Israel is all pumped up to show off their design skills at the upcoming 2013 international Solar Decathlon competition in China with All [e] Land – a Mediterranean net-zero prefab dwelling based on a 3,500-year-old archetypal Israeli design.
The first team from Israel to participate in a Solar Decathlon competition is comprised of 30 students from four leading higher learning institutes, including Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Shenkar College of Engineering and Design.
For this group, it was important to develop a structure that is relevant to the economic, environmental and social exigencies of the present day, which is why it is especially interesting that the students modeled their concept on a design that the ancient Israelites used.
The “4 Room Israelite House” made use of outdoor areas, such as the roof and the patio, for climate control and social interaction, according to the team’s design brief.
Then, to further enhance the project’s energy efficiency and sustainability, the team incorporated a suite of modern clean tech innovations, many of which were designed and built in Israel.
PV-integrated windows combined with a rooftop photovoltaic array and a solar thermal system will provide the home’s entire energy requirement, and heat water, while a tight envelope will ensure the lowest possible thermal loss.
Passive solar design optimizes solar gain in the winter months and reduces it in the summer to ease the cooling load. Add to this an Israeli-designed night time radiative cooling system, and the small one bedroom unit is designed to be comfortable all year round.
Great emphasis has been placed on the courtyard, which serves multiple functions: ideal for entertaining and leisure time, this space is also used for gardening. An edible wall or vertical garden should provide a decent amount of produce for the occupants, further increasing the project’s overall self-sufficiency.
Constructed with recyclable steel for easy transport, the All [e] Land home by Team Israel will be on permanent display for educational purposes once the competition in China comes to a close.
The competition runs from August 2-13, 2013.
:: Team Israel
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
I hope there is time for this model to be adopted by millions of people around the World.