I was the Architecture Faculty Lead for CU’s back-to-back, internationally first place wins for both the 2002 and 2005 Solar Decathlon projects.
I used Premier SIPs on the 2002 project.
I developed BioSIPs for the 2005 project.
Prof. Julee Herdt – University of Colorado at Boulder*
Premier SIPs winning technology used in Solar Decathlon
The University of Colorado at Boulder won the 2002 Solar Decathlon using Premier SIPs. Not only did they win the Overall, they also topped the Comfort Zone Contest, the Energy Balance Contest and the Graphics and Communication Contest.
Comfort Zone Contest
Space heating and cooling consume the most energy in our homes. The Comfort Zone contest challenged the 2002 Solar Decathletes to minimize the use of this energy while ensuring interior comfort.
Measured Criteria
Basic objective criteria for The Comfort Zone Contest included:
- Maintaining specific temperature ranges within a house
- Meeting occupant’s comfort needs
Judging Criteria
Basic subjective criteria for The Comfort Zone contest included:
- Ease of use of comfort system controls
- Integration of system into design of house
And the Winner Was…
The University of Colorado won this contest with a total score of 84.423 points out of 100 possible points. The judges said that this team demonstrated the best integration of architectural design and engineering technology, which incorporated passive solar design strategies that minimized space conditioning energy loads.
Since then Premier SIPs panel technology has only gotten better, and with the option of BioSIPs now available getting a greener more energy efficient home is now even easier.
* At the University of Colorado, College of Architecture and Planning, Professor Herdt
teaches architectural design and green technology courses with emphasis on
environmental design and construction
