Competition

The Solar Decathlon Middle East will raise the prestige and visibility of the selected participating universities as they are part of the small group of top institutions that will compete in the world’s most important Solar House Event. One of the main characteristic elements of the Solar Decathlon Middle East is its emphasis on sustainability, innovation and research. The participant teams will work not only to develop and build their houses, but also to enhance the systems’ integration and generation of knowledge on sustainable construction.

Solar Decathlon Middle East offers students a unique opportunity for learning, taking theory and putting it into practice, and doing so through a case study. Students working on the project will be challenged to use their innovation capacity, and their ability to design and build an energetically self-sufficient solar house. The projects are developed by multidisciplinary teams, giving the students the opportunity to learn not only about technical issues but also about teamwork, communication skills, a sustainable lifestyle and socio-economic issues in order to ensure the viability of their project.

The SDME 2018 Organization goal is to contribute to the knowledge and dissemination of industrialized, solar and sustainable housing, and therefore has the followings basic objectives:

• To raise awareness of the students participating in the competition on the benefits and opportunities offered by the use of renewable energy technologies, energy management and sustainable construction, challenging them to think creatively and develop innovative solutions that contribute to energy savings.
• To encourage professionals from different industries to select materials and systems that reduce the environmental impact of their buildings, optimizing its economic viability and providing comfort and safety of occupants.
• To educate the general public about responsible energy use, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the technologies available to help them to reduce/optimize their energy consumption.
• To promote architecturally attractive solar system integration, working on using the solar technologies to replace conventional construction materials in the building envelope such as the roof, skylights or facades.
• To clearly demonstrate that high performance solar homes can be comfortable, attractive and affordable.