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Media team

July 25th 2018 by Tatev Yesayan

As the countdown to the last day of construction is making the stress levels in the team almost tangible, the media team is starting to mount the main installations. The focus today was on “Passing Light,” which is setup in the living room and involves a projector and two infrared cameras mounted inside the ceiling. Given the subtleties and required precision of the setup, it’s quite difficult to predict the exact placement of the electronic devices, as well as to calibrate them prior to having the living room furniture placed, yet the furniture can only go in once the interiors of the house are finished and everything that goes inside the walls is fixed and sealed (including the Passing Light components).

This overlapping of steps has required a lot of adaptability from multiple teams. The media team has found ways to map out the layout of the furniture. The electrical team had to have the power circuits ready to use, yet was willing to change the placement of lights and plugs in order to accommodate changes and decisions that could only be made when Passing Light was being mounted. The pre-cut ceiling panels will also have to be adapted to create the necessary holes for the new placement of the electronics.

Overall, the whole team’s adaptability to the necessary changes related to expected and unexpected issues has been impressive, and we are confident that we can rise to the challenge of finishing the house on time.

#diary

2 weeks down, 1 left !

July 24th 2018 by Matthew Mandato

Today was the start of the final week of construction, and the team felt the pressure of the constraints of the competition. Balancing the progress of the mechanical systems and the interior/exterior finishings, while preparing for the upcoming typhoon, required everyone’s support. With such a large crew on site, a lot was happening at once. Clearly, there is a method at the root of the madness. The team was also put to the test with challenges associated with pre-fabrication construction, as we focus more on the details of the house. We made several adjustments throughout the day, and we managed to come up with a productive day, displaying our ability to adapt. Ultimately, we seek to keep up the high team moral through every bump in the road and whatever Mother Nature throws our way.

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Soaked again

July 23rd 2018 by Mathieu Pellissier

Today was quite peculiar since the rain was expected despite the sunny and blue skied morning. Everyone had still vividly in mind the strong rain episodes of the previous week. The early morning shuttles were full as all teams were concerned as we were to put their house, gears and material under cover.

I worked mainly inside the house, setting the fan coils wiring and fixtures in preparation for the installation of the walls finish. Also I was busy with some ventilation ducting work and got caught under heavy rain while retrieving ducts from the storage area, then fighting the wind and putting back the tarp over insulation ballots which had been blown away by the wind. I got back to the house completely soaked, thankfully except for my shoes.

We worked until 10pm tonight and I feel more and more tired. Luckily, the daily progress of the whole team keep our chins up. Also tonight, I was able to video chat with my wife and my two children. Cela aussi met du baume au coeur.

Voila pour aujourd’hui.

#diary

Integrated photovoltaics panels

July 23rd 2018 by Matin Abtahi

TeamMTL’s house has building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) on the two roofs of the house. In addition to their task as power plants, building integrated panels serve as construction materials that replace conventional, single-function building materials with powerful insulation, heat absorption and cooling qualities. The BIPV/T system not only increases the efficiency of the panels at the optimum level, but also extracts heat from them which can be used in the house.

For the past many days, our team has been working on the installation and commissioning of the BIPV and BIPVT systems. Today we finished installing the back roof and are very happy to see that it is fully operational. When it started to rain, we secured our remaining panels and all our tools in less than 5 minutes, after which we were all wet to the core.

In outlook, we are looking forward to the next days of the competition when we can enjoy the results of our hard work and exchange ideas with the other teams.

#diary

Overwhelming heat

July 22rd 2018 by Fabrice Grenier-Arellano

It was another hot day on site, so much so that some of us took a much needed nap from 12 to 3 in the afternoon to skip the heat. Even with the break I drank at least 3 Litres of water today. Fortunately, the team spirit has not weakened but has grown stronger. As the membranes are being installed in the roof, I worked on putting up drywall and Russian plywood panels. At this stage of construction, when finishing touches are within our reach we get very excited, knowing we are a step closer to completion. After a long day of work, the other student volunteers and I began to unwind. We share stories, passions and good jokes.

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Soaked in sweat or rain?

July 18th 2018 by Tim Lagendyk

Five days ago there was a massive downpour that was on and off for two days. We were not properly prepared and the entire house got flooded - the house was not yet been water proofed. We attempted to put up tarps, but the rain was coming down for so long and with such intensity that nothing we did helped. The cavities of the pre fabricated panels were filled with water and everyone we had was trying their best to sweep and vacuum the water away. Our attempts of keeping the place dry seemed futile at first. Only once the rain mostly stopped did we start seeing any progress. Today we are still using industrial humidifiers and massive fans to attempt to dry out the wall and floor panels, and we will likely be continuing the process for the rest of the construction period.

As I write this post I'm sitting in the air conditioned lounge, forced to stop working outside because of the heat. It's difficult to organize such a large crew in a foreign country to begin with. Upping the ante, we have to deal with the heavy downpours flooding our house and this is followed by high humidity and temperatures. All together, the morale of our team is put to the test. Luckily we have been able to come together and support each other. These people who were largely strangers to me a few days ago have become good friends. When the weather hits us, we stick together, help each other up, and keep moving forward.

#diary

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[魁省] 关于麦吉尔大学TeamMTL团队，大家了解有多少？

萌村村长村干部发表于 2018-7-9 09:51:27 | 只看该作者 |只看大图 |阅读模式

TeamMTL is a collaboration between McGill University andConcordia University in Montreal, Canada, comprised of faculty and studentsfrom several different and diverse departments including architecture, designand computation arts, engineering, business, management, dance and theatre. Thedesign, construction, and operation of the Deep-Performance Dwelling is anactive partnership with inter-disciplinary and cross-institutional teamsworking side-by-side in an integrative design process. This dynamic collaborationcapitalizes on the expertise, strengths, and resources of two preeminent Québecuniversities. The student team is comprised of undergraduate and graduatestudents at all stages in their career from a wide array of disciplines.TeamMTL由麦吉尔大学和肯高迪亚大学的众多教职员、教授以及学生共同组成，其囊括的领域有建筑、艺术及数码设计、工程、商学、管理、舞蹈及戏剧。DPD的一体化设计，建设以及运营要求我们跨越学科以及机构组织，与我们的合作伙伴们完美配合。这项合作充分运用了魁北克两所杰出大学的专业知识，优势和资源。团队的学生成员包括本科生与研究生。他们来自不同领域并处于职业与学业生涯的不同阶段，每一位都以最独特的方式为我们团队带来活力与灵魂。

Read more here!

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Coopération internationale

16 Juillet 2018 par Ian Sabourin-Somers

Dès les premiers jours, l’intensité de l’énergie de notre équipe nous a permis de travailler de manière efficace . Tous les membres de l’équipe ont participé activement au déchargement des conteneurs sur la zone de stationnement qui nous était réservée. Nous nous sommes vite rendus compte qu’étant donné notre cas particulier (transport de 13 conteneurs par bateau traversant le Pacifique), nous devions nous pencher sérieusement sur l’enjeu de stockage du matériel dans l’espace restreint alloué . Par un hasard fortuit, nos deux voisins sont des équipes d’une amabilité exceptionnelle.

L’équipe de l’Inde fait preuve d'une grande solidarité entre ses membres et elle nous a démontré qu'elle pouvait être solidaire avec nous aussi. Dû à un problème technique/logistique de leur côté, ils n'ont pas reçu leurs conteneurs à temps. Ce faisant, ils nous ont agréablement surpris en nous laissant utiliser leur espace de stationnement comme ajout à notre zone de dépôt, du moins, jusqu’à ce que leur matériel arrive. Nous avons donc profité de cette ouverture pour nous faire de précieux alliés. Leur offre généreuse nous a permis d’organiser nos panneaux d’enveloppe d’une manière beaucoup plus espacée, facilitant ainsi leur accès individuel.

Nos autres voisins, une équipe combinée de France (Bretagne) et Chine, ont aussi été très serviables. Ils nous ont permis d’emprunter les outils qu’il nous manquait en attendant les nôtres, bloqués aux douanes. Ils nous ont aussi proposé de regarder avec eux la finale de la Coupe du Monde! Depuis, nos alliés sont devenus nos amis et nous nous côtoyons et entraidons tous les jours.

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What about the other teams?

July 14th 2018 by Tania Pilon

Getting off the bus you arrive on this huge oval space laid out with each team’s site. In the first few days the various structural designs strike us. The French team, like us, is putting up together a panelized home. Our houses therefore went up much faster than others like the American-Italian-Chinese team making a steel construction frame. On the other hand, the team across was initially a step ahead of us by dropping on site the complete structure of the house, making it seem almost finished.

On another note, some teams were less fortunate. Turkey dropped out. Our neighbour, team India, shipped their house in containers, like us, but, out of luck, it was delayed, leaving them with an empty site still halfway in the competition!

Apart from the difference in the initial rhythm of construction, what jumps out is the working crews. Most teams hired Chinese construction workers leaving only to the students the task of overseeing the process. We did see some students work here and there, but taking the bus back to the hotel, we are always by far the dirtiest! It is however pleasant to converse with other teams at that time: informing ourselves on their group, discussing the weather, comparing foundations… The majority of participants are Chinese and not all speak English, creating a language barrier. However, the desire to discuss is there, pulling out the translation app.

Observing all those different houses coming together is really intriguing to see. Some design seem counterintuitive for us. The German’s are fully glazing both the South and North facade. At least two teams are inversely sloping their roofs directing the precipitations at the center of the home rather than away. This adds to the built excitement to see it all completed and visit each project to learn from each other.

#diary

Organized and efficient

July 12th 2018 by Jennifer Jiang

After touring the Solar Decathlon Village, I can confidently say that the effort put into our site’s organization and workplace set up has proven worthwhile. We benefit from an efficient “zoning” systems within our 25 x 25 m site, where spaces are optimally separated into circulation, storage, resting and working areas. The set-up also considers the unpredictable weather conditions with an overarching canopy. With houses 2 to 3 times our footprint size, most teams dedicated their exterior landscape as storage and their interior home as work and resting compartments. In contrast, the smaller footprint of our DPD house (25 x 5 m) allowed us to separate the main storage zone from the workplace and resting area, located outside along the longitudinal length of the house. This set-up offers easy access for the team members into and out of the front and rear doors. Our canopy workshop is organized and comprehensive: with working stations, seats, storage racks, giant fans and a mini fridge that barely refreshes the whole team from the weighing heat (yes, more than 40 degrees). To say the least, we maximized the capacity of our lot with allocated zones that are logically positioned in their spatial relationships; whereas most of the other teams scattered them arbitrarily around the house.

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The Tool Fiasco

July 9th 2018 by Ben Wareing

Despite months of diligent planning, the team had to learn quickly that things operate very differently here in China. Communication is a dance requiring careful steps to draw out information and commitment – we learnt this the hard way when the shipment containing our tools and other important materials was held up by our assigned shipper who had failed to obtain a license for the transportation of dangerous goods. Layers of bureaucracy needed to be carefully negotiated in the days leading up to the competition and the right people paid to get our tools through customs and delivered from Beijing to our site here in Dezhou. The Canadian Embassy even stepped in to expedite the process. Finally our tools made their way to us 4 days into the competition just before the roof was to be installed to complete the envelope. As good Canadians (and resourceful immigrants), we managed to improvise and borrow what we had needed to that point so the hit was not a big one. We now have all we need and are self-reliant for the rest of the competition as we construct our Montreal home here on the other side of the world in 40 degree heat...

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Solar Decathlon team given a green send-off

By Junji Nishihata, Communications Officer, Faculty of Engineering

Against the appropriately sustainable background of the Centre for Sustainable Development in downtown Montreal, Team MTL was given a festive send-off party for their upcoming participation in the Solar Decathlon China event. Curtains go up for the international completion on July 9, when teams from around the world will begin building their sustainably designed houses. Team MTL, which brings together students and faculty from McGill and Concordia University, is Canada’s sole entry in the prestigious competition.

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