The 2009 Solar Decathlon is over, and although Team Germany took home first prize this year, every one of the 20 competing teams is worthy of honorable mention. Not least of which is Virginia Tech’s LUMENHAUS. The house is made with super-efficient glass walls and doors with an open-floor design to allow maximum light penetration.

But this is no glass house. LUMENHAUS is equipped with a shifting facade, called an “Eclipsis System,” that glides on tracks to cover or reveal the windows depending on time of day and weather conditions. LUMENHAUS finished 13th overall in the Solar Decathlon, but scored high in major categories, including engineering, market viability and third place in architecture.

The essence of LUMENHAUS, which by design is an homage to the Bauhaus architectural movement of the early 20th century, lies in its intelligence. The house automatically monitors in- and outdoor conditions and adjusts the sliding facade accordingly. Home conditions are displayed in the house on various screens, as well as remotely through a Smartphone application, allowing the homeowner constant awareness and control.

The open floor plan and glass walls provide a sense of largeness in a small space. LUMENHAUS covers only 800 square feet, although it does have a modular design so that more than one house can be fitted together. The bathroom comprises a central core with open flow on either side of it between other areas of the house. The house is very flexible, with sliding walls and structurally insulated panels that facilitate the modular nature of the home.

Photo Credit: inhabitat

The house is 100% solar-powered by a solar array in its roof. It harvests rainwater through a catchment system, which purifies it for drinking water. Greywater from the shower is also harvested for non-potable use by passing through biofilter ponds outside the home. Radiant floor heating is supplied by a geothermal heat pump, not to mention passive solar heating through the glass walls.

LUMENHAUS means the “Power of Light,” and it certainly achieves that. Yet, in addition to its functional design and fantastic mode of living, what is most striking about LUMENHAUS is its diversity. The power of light may provide both inspiration and function through the rooftop solar array, but the house also utilizes the power of earth through its geothermal heat pump, the power of water through its rain catchment system, and the power of living organisms to filter that rainwater.

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Posted on November 5th in Solar News by Dan.