Source: BNBM

Date: September 30, 2013

Solar Decathlon China 2013 aimed at showcasing the world's most advanced house building technologies and energy technologies has wound up in Datong, Shanxi Province. After intense competition in ten items by 22 teams from 13 countries, "O-House" built by INTECH Building Co., Ltd. (INTECH Building) under BNBM, Tsinghua University and University of Florida ranked 5th overall and won three single titles including the Award for "Interior Comfort".
Seven editions of "Solar Decathlon" have been held in the US and Europe since 2002, attracting over 100 universities from countries and regions like the US, Europe and China. The competition evaluates the performance of architectural design innovation, eco-tech integration, living environment regulation and energy self-supply, and requires that solar energy should be taken as the only energy for house operation and living. 10 standards such as architectural design and interior comfort are set up for all-round assessment, overall rankings are determined on the basis of results of single items, procedures such as design, building, testing and competition are evaluated, the overall period is two years, solar house building should be completed in 10 days in the final and be dismantled rapidly after the competition is over. These require that buildings should be assembled rapidly and problems like restriction of long-distance transport should be taken into account.
As a partner for "O-House", with one-stop housing solutions and the concept of eco-friendly design, INTECH Building worked with Tsinghua University and University of Florida on solar house design, construction, building, maintenance and dismantlement. With an area of over 250 square meters and a floor area of some 80 square meters, in composite steel structure, "O-House" increases the usable floor area of the house and the flexibility of spatial arrangement. To meet time requirements, INTECH Building pieced different sectors together early in its plant, made components like wall slab, floor slab and roof truss, transported them long distance, assembled them rapidly on the spot and completed house building in only two weeks. The dry process of house building was free of noise, dust and sewage. The "double-insulation" and "double-layer" technologies using by the wall make indoor temperature constant, and use of moisture-proof materials in the wall meets the humidity requirement of the house. The house can resist degree 9 earthquakes and category 12 typhoon. After the competition is over, the house can be dismantled rapidly and eco-friendly building materials can be recycled to avoid environmental pollution. This is a real green eco-friendly recyclable house.
"O-House" is a perfect combination of new house technologies and new energy technologies. On the one hand, the new house provides a platform for new energy presentation and is more conducive to show the technical advantage of new energy; on the other hand, new energy adds brilliance to the new house and gives full rein to its advantage. Future houses will develop in the direction of abandoning traditional high-energy-consumption building materials like brick and cement, fully using renewable energy like solar energy and wind energy to accomplish self-sufficiency and recycling rainwater and domestic wastewater. INTECH Building is developing fourth-generation intelligent, eco-friendly and self-sufficient new houses in harmony with nature to create a green future.