January 30 2020

A team of students from Heriot-Watt University are preparing to jet off to Dubai to participate in the World Expo 2020 and Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) competition.

Led by students with the support of the university Team ESTEEM will be involved in all aspects of the construction of a demonstration one-bedroom home from its design and marketing, through to the use of intelligent systems.

As sole British representatives in the competition, the multi-disciplinary team aim to harness the power of the sun to power a fully functional home while taking into account the cultural, climatic and social context of the Middle East.

To that end, the team propose to build a Passivhaus standard home built from recyclable materials such as bricks manufactured from waste products, cork insulation and cross-laminated timber, all conforming to a modular design which permits assembly in as little as 14 days.

Key design features include a decorative carport for shading, a 3d printed concrete wind tower for natural cooling and light materials designed to reflect heat.

Supported by the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre the project will begin with the construction of a full-scale prototype in Edinburgh this spring to serve as a testbed for the various products and innovations on display.

A second adapted version of this model will then be shipped to Dubai for assembly on site.

The SDME will take place between December 2020 and April 2021 during which 21 university-led solar-powered homes will go on display, with the winner to be decided on a range of criteria from architecture and energy efficiency to sustainability.

14 Comments

#1 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 30 Jan 2020 at 12:27 PM

3D printing for a concrete wind tower = ego trip.
What next -- 3D printing for a concrete manhole?

Mental and then some.

#2 Posted by the voice of reason on 30 Jan 2020 at 13:07 PM

They are students mate, its ok to be experimental and mess about...

#3 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 30 Jan 2020 at 15:27 PM

Messing about -- that would be the tutors not the students.

File under self indulgent ego trip for the over 40s.

What next -- painting the hall through the letterbox?

#4 Posted by egophobia on 30 Jan 2020 at 15:56 PM

In my opinion, their extraordinary solutions inspire other people to think outside the box too and contribute to sustainability.

#5 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 30 Jan 2020 at 16:13 PM

Concrete -- sustainable ?!?

That dog don't hunt.

#6 Posted by Common sense on 30 Jan 2020 at 20:12 PM

#5 it's all relative. Timber is admittedly more sustainable but not too abundant in the ME so it would make sense to use concrete. You're welcome!

#7 Posted by Darby's ghost on 31 Jan 2020 at 09:44 AM

Dont dare change the current tried and tested methods, the devils fingerprints are all over so called "progressive technology". Mark my words this is a road to disappointment founded on the ego of the self indulgent.
Steel rather than wrought iron for bridges, vanity I say!

#8 Posted by FitzHat on 31 Jan 2020 at 10:12 AM

Wrought iron? Timber and stone are bad enough. A few big rocks chucked onto the river bed are all anyone needs. Anything else is pretentious nonsense.

#9 Posted by modernish on 31 Jan 2020 at 12:51 PM

Rocks in the river! What in the name of all that is holy are you doing crossing a river? What possible reason could there be for all this modern fangled experimenting. These natural barriers are there for a reason and ours isn't to question why.
What next - fat bloke's touring around the place ?

#10 Posted by ArchForth on 31 Jan 2020 at 13:18 PM

I think it's an exciting opportunity for them to represent Scotland on the world stage, and a way to prove a timber construction concept to a part of the world that disregards it, while helping promote a more sustainable form of concrete construction which 3D printed concrete is. I hope they take what's been said above into consideration and adapt to the feedback, and I look forward to hearing more about the project.

#11 Posted by Arcsine. on 31 Jan 2020 at 17:57 PM

Wonderful to see a group of students participating in this challenge. Building a house is difficult but not impossible. Take into account all comments to make it better. I hope to hear more often about your project and good luck.

#12 Posted by egophobia on 1 Feb 2020 at 15:50 PM

In my opinion, their extraordinary solutions inspire other people to think outside the box too and contribute to sustainability.

#13 Posted by Damp Proof Membrane on 3 Feb 2020 at 13:46 PM

Congratulations, well done and good luck to the students.

And Urban Realm, it's not cool to allow commentators to call folk 'felt tip fairy'. Quite surprising that you can't read homophobia when you see it.

#14 Posted by Urban Realm on 3 Feb 2020 at 14:05 PM

The term as I understand it is a criticism of designers but the disparaging remarks have gone on long enough, so out it goes.

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