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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    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: Communications Narrative
    (2017-08-10) Team reACT; Schrantz, Emma; Andros, Whitney Paige; Stoltz, Angela; Binder, Michael P
    Describes in-depth the efforts to educate, inform, and interest the public, including the communications strategy; success of outreach and education message; description of digital communications. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 teams must develop and implement communications strategies to engage their local communities, provide free tours to visitors during the event in Denver, and make an impact across the world through their digital presence and media outreach.
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-7: Construction Sequence Animation
    (2017-04-27) Team reACT; Goldstein, Gregory; Rockcastle, Garth C
    Animation of how the house was constructed and moved to the exhibition site in Denver, Colorado. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 teams must develop and implement communications strategies to engage their local communities, provide free tours to visitors during the event in Denver, and make an impact across the world through their digital presence and media outreach.
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-7: Floor Plan
    (2017-04-27) Team reACT; Oh Boun, Sandra; Binder, Michael P
    The graphic floor plan is expected to be posted to the Solar Decathlon website and used in various communications materials to introduce the public to each competition prototype. The floor plan should be presented in a way to demonstrate the layout of the house, interior furnishings, and all site elements.
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-7: Team reACT Video
    (2017-04-27) Team reACT; Fairhurst, Ricky
    Audiovisual presentation of walk-through of reACT as will be experienced by judges and by the general public. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 teams must develop and implement communications strategies to engage their local communities, provide free tours to visitors during the event in Denver, and make an impact across the world through their digital presence and media outreach.
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    Solar Decathlon 2017 D-7: Project Summary
    (2017-04-27) Team reACT; Sudarsanan, Srijesh
    Summary description of house, design philosophy and house design, indicating goals, architectural style, target market, etc., unique house features, technological innovations, target client for the team house and how the design responds to this market’s needs, team organization, future plans for the house. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 teams must develop and implement communications strategies to engage their local communities, provide free tours to visitors during the event in Denver, and make an impact across the world through their digital presence and media outreach.