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Happy Monday! Happy Bastille Day! And here's to the last day of Solar Decathlon Europe 2014! Last Saturday a crowd of pink sat in the stands of the Agora waiting for the final verdict. Never before had it been this crowded with Decathletes and visitors from the public, with plenty of celebratory drinks to go around. Fittingly, the original creators of Solar Decathlon in the US introduced the program, starting from the early ideas of a student-run, student-built competition to the now well-established Solar Decathlon USA, Europe, China, and now Latin America. Then, the awards came, and that's when Techstyle Haus won 3rd place in Comfort Conditions! Knowing that the fabric house's performance as a livable, comfortable space would be one of our greatest challenges, we could not be more proud! Both visitors and monitors agreed that Techstyle Haus was one of the warmest, air-tight, and sound-tight houses at the Cité du Soleil. We could not have achieved this without the considerable work and effort from everyone on our team's students, faculty, and sponsors! Some other notable standings: We placed 6th in both Communications & Social Awareness and in House Functioning, and 10th in Energy Efficiency.

We would like to congratulate all twenty competing teams and the five exhibiting teams of Solar Decathlon Europe 2014. Designing and building a solar-powered house is no small feat, and everyone involved in the competition has learned and grown remarkably. Even through the competitive scoring and judging process, we enjoyed having dinner parties and dancing with our fellow Decathletes at the Agora, switching from English to French to German and back again. Above all, we are proud to have shown the first solar-powered, super-efficient fabric house to 20,000 people in Versailles and thousands more online. Now that we are moving into disassembly phase, the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 chapter of Techstyle Haus is now closing, and we are moving into a new chapter in Lessac, France, where the house will go to its final site at the Domaine de Boisbuchet. Look forward to more news about the house, the team, and continuous inspiration this summer!

See our website for a FULL list of Techstyle Haus in the press! Our newest press release will also be out shortly! If you want to write a story about Techstyle Haus and are looking for professional photos, see our flickr for an amazing gallery by Kristen Pelou!

#solar decathlon #solar decathlon europe #sde2014 #techstyle haus #brown #risd #erfurt #fhe #solar energy #solar power #solar architecture #architecture #building #construction #award #award ceremony

Solar Decathlon is ON! This past week has been dedicated to giving public tours, jury visits, house monitoring, and when time allows, dinner parties! We have been getting big crowds and great comments on our house from the public. Here's what people have to say: "I'll take two, please." "I would love to live here!" "We'll vote for you!" Thank you! We're thrilled that we're a crowd pleaser. The juries...not so much. While we received #6 place in Communications and are currently fluctuating between #1 and #2 for Comfort Conditions, we have not received high scores in architecture and urban design. BUT, there are still seven official contests to go, and many other awards to be given as well, such as Dinner Parties and Public Choice. So look forward to more updates as we go forth with Techstyle Haus!

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Today we had the pleasure of inviting Brown and RISD Alumni to the Cité du Soleil to tour our house! A few words were given by alumni, students, and advisors highlighting the importance of Techstyle Haus not only for the competition, but for the team as well. We'd like to thank everyone for coming, and for their immense support throughout the project!

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Please be sure to VOTE TECHSTYLE HAUS for Public Choice Award! From now until July 12 votes will be counted toward this award on the Solar Decathlon website. Spread the word and encourage people to support the first textile enclosed entry! http://www.solardecathlon2014.fr/votez

Interested in our humidity levels? Temperature? Air quality? You can track Techstyle Haus's performance live and 24/7 here thanks to Solar Decathlon Europe's monitoring system! http://monitoring.sd14.fr/

#techstyle haus #solar decathlon #solar decathlon europe #sde2014 #risd #brown #erfurt #fhe #solar architecture #solar energy #architecture #construction #building

Today was the first day of the competition and Techstyle Haus is up and running! Though the 10-day build was a strenuous process, we made it by helping and being helped by our 19 international neighbors. So many hands and minds went into this project, and we couldn't have done it without our fantastic group of students, advisors, sponsors, and partners. Now we're proud to exhibit our house to the public! If you are in the area, please visit us at the Citè du Soleil! We are open on weekdays 11:30am - 2:30pm and 5:30pm - 7:30pm, on weekends 10am - 10pm. Tweet @techstylehaus and post your favorite photos of the house! If not, we will be posting photos and updates frequently throughout the competition, so keep in touch!

We'd like to thank photographer Kristen Pelou for these beautiful shots of the house.

#techstyle haus #solar decathlon #solar decathlon europe #sde2014 #architecture #design #engineering #solar energy #passive house #textiles #photography

On the 9th official assembly day and running on pure adrenaline and caffeine, the end is fast approaching. The Sheerfill architectural membrane is now completely tensioned. Over it, the two flexible solar arrays have been placed and are now being wired and secured. These photovoltaic cells have been mounted to a vinyl fabric, allowing them to bend slightly and take the form of the curved ribs. Surrounding the perimeter of the house we have a series of decking modules, allowing visitors to enter by a ramp on the North and South. Large gardening containers also house our plumbing systems and will soon be outfitted by plants suitable for greywater. Meanwhile on the interior the core has entered the house, and along with it the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are being installed. We will be required to run all of our appliances during the competition to display the efficient functioning of our house, mimicking daily household habits through lighting, water running, etc. Everyone has been interested in witnessing the curious house in the corner of Versailles being built, now they can see it actually works as well!

#techstyle haus #solar decathlon europe #solar decathlon #sde2014 #risd #brown #erfurt #fhe #solar energy #solar architecture #architecture #building #construction

Mid-way through the build and our spirits are high. The walls are insulated, the windows have arrived, and there's nothing like blasting Rihanna while installing your finish flooring.

Now that the Sheerfill has been graciously repaired by PPL France, we can now adjust and tension the membrane. This process involves pulling the membrane East and West, North and South, and then back again until we can ensure an even distribution. On the inside, the walls have also been completely outfitted with a thick layer of insulation and covered with the air barrier, the prevention against moisture build-up. With the finish flooring completely installed, we can now also install the core on the North side. Soon this house will have its kitchen, bathroom, and mechanical systems!

Though we've been busy throughout the assembly phase, we haven't missed the opportunity to tour the rest of the Cité du Soleil and say hi to other team members. Let's not forget that there are 19 other teams pulling the same crazy construction schedules that we are. With everyone tight on time and susceptible to the minor disaster here and there, it's no surprise teams are helping each other out and lending tools and machinery. This reminds us that, on top of competing, we're incredibly fortunate to be a part of this international experience.

#techstyle haus #sde2014 #solar decathlon #solar decathlon europe #risd #brown #erfurt #fhe #construction #building #architecture #solar #solar energy

With the Sheerfill architectural membrane up and the interior being prepped for insulation, the exterior structure is well underway. A few other teams have asked us how we're putting insulation into such a curved structure. Good question! During the overnight shift, team members will secure a series of criss-crossing ratchet straps between the steel ribs that will create a net, between which the insulation can rest in. An original Techstyle Haus system! How to Mend your Fabric House: Our architectural membrane went up successfully and is now partially tensioned along the perimeter of our house. During installation, a small tear occurred on the Western side. While this put us slightly behind schedule, this will not affect the durability of our house at all. On the contrary, mending Sheerfill is much like welding steel - once the area is repaired it will make the area twice as strong. Within a few weeks, the patch will bleach out white and match the rest of the facade. We'd like to thank Birdair and Saint-Gobain for their extremely quick consulting during this crucial moment. In the next few days, look out for our insulation, airtight sealing, mechanical core, and solar array! 10 days is all we have and we're powering through!

#techstyle haus #solar decathlon #solar decathlon europe #sde2014 #risd #brown #erfurt #fhe #architecture #textiles #engineering

Greeting everyone! The Solar Decathlon Assembly Period has officially begun!

Over the next ten days our team will transform an empty lot by the grounds of Versailles to the house and landscape of Techstyle Haus. Working in shifts of eight hours each, people will be on site 24/7 to assemble the house from ground up. Meanwhile, out in our new warehouse people will also continue prepping and applying finish work to various components to ensure they will be prepared once they arrive on site later this week. In these busy times, we will kindly blow up your inboxes and newsfeeds with updates of our progress a few times a week. Please cheer us on by liking us on facebook and following us on twitter. If you're ever in need of a vacation spot, Techstyle Haus will be open to the public on June 28!

DAY 1 ON SITE

Survey the site

Install the steel footings

Install the insulated floor pallets

IN THE WAREHOUSE

Build decking and railing

Consult with MEP expert

Test and install appliances

Apply finish work to the core

#techstyle haus #solar decathlon #solar decathlon europe #sde2014 #risd #brown #erfurt #fhe #building #architecture #solar architecture #solar energy

Building a fabric house is no small task. We'd like to thank Birdair, Inc. for coming to help us install the Sheerfill this week! You can visit their website here: http://www.birdair.com/

They provide expert design consulting and build custom tensile structures.

Walter Bird started the company in 1956, developing early radomes (radar domes) and rapid deployment command shelters.

They work with structures ranging anywhere from sports stadiums and airports to hotels and resorts.

An entourage of architects, engineers, contractors, owners, and developers make up their team.

As a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, they're determined to construct both beautifully and sustainably!