Solar Decathlon

One house that I particularly enjoyed was House 112 not just because it was one of the most beautifully designed energy-effiecient home ever, but because they used some ideas that I have long fiddled with in my designs. Just to be clear on this matter, I am in no way implying that they used my design. Instead they had a design that was very similar to a design that I had conceptualize in my mind. I have been dying to create a free standing studio built on a platform that allowed for storage as well as the installation of a "murphy bed" in the floor. I use the term murphy bed loosely because instead of the bed tucking away into the wall, in my design the bed would be built into the floor with a cover to tuck it away. It was so inspiring to see that other designers had considered such a design feasible and had executed it with great flare.

Here is some background info on this house: This house in particular was designed by the Univeristy of Technology in Germany. While there were many houses worthy of accolade and recognition, the construction of House 112 was exceptionally executed, in addition to being one of the most innovative. Just imagine the Volkswagen of modular homes and that's what I found myself oohing and aahing over. With crazy cool ideas, like solar shutters that move with the sun, sinks and ovens that hide away as well as movable bathroom walls, they were definitely not the underdogs of the competition. Much of the technology used in building the home were prototypes that the students help to create with big wig German companies, and often the companies created one-of-a-kind custum components to suit their building needs. When I asked how much it cost to create the house, one student estimated that the costs exceeded $1.2 million dollars. (Sigh) I wish the footage that I shot had survived the import process because I can barely touch the amount of innovative details that went into the house. Remember the shutters I told you about? Well that is the first layer the the shell of the house. Much like the human skin, the house was constructed with different layers with the solar shutters being the first layer.