FutureHAUS Dubai is the winning result of the 2018 Solar Decathlon Middle East, an international competition held in Dubai that challenges teams to design and build a solar-powered, energy-positive smart home.
The house ships as eighteen plug-and-play programmatic cartridges that contain the complex technologies and home systems, allowing the home to be assembled in just two days. The process of manufacturing cartridges in a factory reduces the material waste, site disruption and on-site construction time.
The cartridges are constructed with structural insulated panels SIPs, giving both a tight envelope and high insulation values while the vacuum-sealed door assembly offers the same performance as an opaque wall. The ceiling plenum is lined with phase change material to passively cool the house during the night. A white glass facade encloses the house, acting as a rain screen that removes heat from the wall assembly. A perforated screen wall defines the envelope perimeter, protecting it from direct sun during daytime hours. The south garden features native plants that shade the living areas and are resilient in the desert climate. The solar canopy performs like a tree, shading the house to reduce solar heat gain while generating electricity from the array of photovoltaics. Solar thermal generation and innovative closed loop strategies are employed to recycle 95% of the water consumed.
The technology deeply integrated into the home allows the user to monitor energy production and consumption on one of the nine table displays in the home. Motion sensors embedded in the glass floor shut off lights and appliances when the room is unoccupied. Moveable walls powered by DC rails offer flexible space, optimizing the user experience while occupying a smaller footprint.
FutureHAUS Dubai takes a holistic approach by integrating prefabrication, solar power, smart technology, and efficient transportation strategies to make a truly sustainable home.