They want to bring solar-powered North House to the
attention of the world, but first need to raise $260,000 to take the
800-square-foot home and a 30-member team of engineering and
architecture students to a solar showcase in Washington, D.C.
"Certainly
the area that we would appreciate most of the assistance is on the cash
side," Geoffrey Thun of the University of Waterloo school of
architecture, said.
Thun is a faculty representative on the team
for North House-- solar powered home designed and built by architecture
and engineering students. The group includes students from the
University of Waterloo, Simon Fraser University and Ryerson.
Altogether
the group must raise about $1.5 million in cash and in-kind donations.
About $780,000 of that is for the construction of North House, which
will produce more energy than it consumes. It is being built with the
help of a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
It
will be assembled here, then shipped in sections to Washington, D.C.
for the Solar Decathlon in September, where it will be reassembled on
the Washington Mall.
The Solar Decathlon is a public event
designed to increase awareness of solar energy for residential use. It
is organized by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the
U.S. Department of Energy to foster development of solar-powered homes.
Every
two years teams from selected universities compete to design, build and
operate solar-powered homes on the Washington Mall.
The hope is
that companies will eventually be able to commercialize the technology
-- creating energy-efficient homes for people to live in.
About $260,000 is needed to send the team to Washington for a month.
Companies
that have already supported the North House team with donations of
materials and services, include Day 4 Energy, Buthaup Canada, Xantrex,
JG Group of Companies and B.C. Hydro. "We've had a pretty huge interest
I think in materials and supplies," Barhydt said.
"So the actual
bones of the house are moving along very quickly in terms of generating
the materials that we need, that's going very well, the cash
fundraising is going a bit slower."
Based on the model, North
House looks like a modernist, minimalist box, shrouded on three sides
with vertical and horizontal blinds, which cover the floor-to-ceiling
windows. The roof is covered with an array of photovoltaic cells.
"The
glass is actually a really key part of the performance of the house,
and it also generates a beautiful living space," said Lauren Barhydt, a
master's student at the University of Waterloo architecture school.
Sponsors
and donors supporting the project get exposure to the public,
developers and national and international media on the Washington Mall.
North
House will also be showcased at the Olympics in Vancouver before being
brought back to Waterloo Region, where it will be set up in a public
space.
Barhydt said the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation,
a federal crown corporation, has put the North House team in contact
with private sector donors.
Any individual or organization wishing to support the North House team should contact Maun Demchenko at mademche@team-north.com.