Solar Decathlon 2017: Team reACT

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/24707

The 2017 Team Maryland developed reACT—short for Resilient Adaptive Climate Technology— demonstrating that homes can help people live in harmony with nature while at the same time harnessing her gifts of solar energy, water, and food. Designed with influences from Nanticoke and Maryland (Delmarva) tribal traditions, reACT includes a composting system, hydroponic garden, vegetable garden, and movable “living walls” covered in plants. The project also demonstrates urban farming—an important facet of self-sufficient living.

The Maryland team invites you to think of reACT as a living organism, with six modules performing vital functions. Systems that capture and process waste, water, and energy allow the house to operate with complete self-sufficiency, and the house’s living systems are fully disentangled from structure, so the house can adapt as occupants’ needs change—for example, by adding a new bedroom module. Much more than a “one-off,” reACT is intended to serve as a seminal prototype for a "house as a kit of parts" design concept. This kit consists of separate components and systems parts that can be efficiently manufactured, transported, assembled, and disassembled. The intention is to create a home-building kit that can be readily adapted to a range of clients, communities, construction technologies, and ecological environments.

Features and Technologies:

  • A mechanical core manages the flow of water, air, and energy.
  • A central courtyard with an operable glass roof and wall panels extends the living space and acts as a solar heat collector.
  • The house demonstrates urban and ancestral Native American farming with a hydroponic garden, exterior vegetable garden, and movable living walls.
  • A barrel composter turns food scraps into nutrients, and a composting toilet processes human waste.
  • A solar electric PV array with battery storage; rainwater and greywater collection and treatment systems; and a composting toilet allow the house to operate independently.
  • Designed with influences from Nanticoke and Maryland tribal traditions, the house incorporates materials that consider tribal environmental ethics.
  • An automated SmartHouse data collection and control system package enables residents to follow and learn from the data it collects and use energy wisely.

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Author: search.filters.author.Johnson-Williams, Malik

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-5: 3-D Walk-Through
    (2016-12-15) Team reACT; Johnson-Williams, Malik; Southard, Renata; Zain, Shah; Rockcastle, Garth C
    Animated walkthrough created from architectural renderings to date. This was used by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 as part of their media package. Team Maryland used it for various outreach and fundraising events.
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-5: Architectural Renderings
    (2016-12-15) Team reACT; Johnson-Williams, Malik; Southard, Renata; Moore, Anil; Rockcastle, Garth C; Binder, Michael P
    Images, with exterior, interior, and birds-eye views, includes a .docx file with photographer credits.
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-4: 90% Complete Design Drawings
    (2016-11-17) Team reACT; Johnson-Williams, Malik; Oh Boun, Sandra; Elmahadi, Alla; Rockcastle, Garth C; Binder, Michael P
    90% complete construction documentation: General, including solar envelope compliance, accessible tour route, finished square footage, water delivery and removal compliance information, and constructed footprint calculations. Site, including temporary footing locations, ground penetrations, and adjustable footings. Landscape, including plantings, containers, and watering methodology. Structural, including building, decking, and associated structures. Architectural, including dimensioned floorplans, building sections, detailed sections, reflected ceiling plans, roof plans, elevations, window and door schedules, and exterior structures. Interiors, including finishes, furniture layout, and cabinetry. Fire Protection, including sprinklers and required detection systems. Plumbing, including layout, schedules, and diagrams. Mechanical, including layout, schedules, diagrams, and installation requirements. Electrical, including AC and DC layout, 1-line diagrams, 3-line diagrams, and sizing calculations. Telecommunications, including instrumentation, wiring, and associated elements. Operations, including house transportation, assembly methodology, and staging.
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-9: Final Report
    (2017-11-16) Team reACT; Habib, Sophie; Elmahadi, Alla; Johnson-Williams, Malik; Cossard, Patricia Kosco; Rockcastle, Garth C; Binder, Michael P; Adomaitis, Raymond A
    Impact statement, including: summary of fundraising activities, final project budget, results of media-outreach activities (statistics), results of on-site exhibition activities, estimates of the number of visitors, assessment of visitor experiences,evaluation of the team’s online presence, including statistics, team perspective on the effectiveness of the organizers, future plans for the house, and team officer’s future employment or educational plans.
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-8: Audiovisual presentation
    (2017-08-10) Team reACT; Fairhurst, Ricky; Oh Boun, Sandra; Johnson-Williams, Malik; Rockcastle, Garth C
    Audiovisual presentation including a realistic video walkthrough of the complete constructed house as built prior to competition, audio narrative explaining the underlying philosophy behind the design and team approach, still photos and graphics. Includes an audio narrative and transcript that explains to viewers what they’re seeing and describes the underlying philosophy behind the design and team approach to the competition.
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-8: As-built drawings
    (2017-08-10) Team reACT; Oh Boun, Sandra; Johnson-Williams, Malik; Goldstein, Gregory; Rockcastle, Garth C; Binder, Michael P
    Reviewed by a professional cost estimator, this documents the exact estimated construction cost based on the as-built construction documentation. Cost estimates include all labor, material, and equipment costs necessary to construct the competition prototype. Pricing is based on the following hierarchy of sources: a. RS Means Cost Guides for the current year (current year and adjusted to the national average location factor, wage rate, and average material index); b. Distributor pricing, with labor added; c. Web-based materials search, with labor added; d. Estimator’s experience.
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-6: reACT Final Construction Drawings
    (2017-02-23) Team reACT; Oh Boun, Sandra; Johnson-Williams, Malik; Rockcastle, Garth C; Adomaitis, Raymond A
    100% complete construction documentation, with sufficient detail for a contractor to build the competition prototype house as it is expected to appear on the competition site. The documentation shall include complete and final design details, house system specifications, and construction.