RISD invited to Solar Decathlon Europe 2014

RISD’s proposal for “The Inside-Out House” is one of two US affiliated projects to be chosen to compete in the Solar Decathlon Europe to be held in the summer of 2014 in Versailles, France. The RISD team led by Jonathan Knowles (Assc. professor, Architecture) is collaborating with the Engineering Dept at Brown University and the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt (FHE), Erfurt, Germany.

From the project proposal: “The act of weaving can create a system of distinctive parts bound together in a symbiotic network. Each component both benefits and is beneficial to the others. Weaving creates interplay as a means to transform. This strategy forms the central research focus for the collaborative team…to create a next-generation home derived from and inspired by the various applications of weaving. Through our research, we will thread the transformative influence of a passive house into culture, community and home. Based on operations of folding, twisting and turning, this process will serve the principles of modularization and aggregation to create sustainable benefits at an urban scale. Furthermore, since textiles allow for a lightweight structure, affordable transport and quick assembly, the house will have the capacity to readily provide shelter in global emergencies. Originally organized by students from Brown Engineering, FHE Architecture and RISD Architecture, the team will quickly expand to include students of economics, graphic design, textile design, furniture design, computer science, digital media, and the natural sciences. The strength of our proposal is based on our cross-disciplinary approach. We will design and build a prototype house that will demonstrate a new, alternative, and improved way of living.”

Congratulations to Jonathan and the team!