"Nature should be viewed as not something separate from ourselves that is just pleasant to look at. Plant life and food should integrate with the home ... and involve the residents, vegetation, insects, wild life, water and nutrients," the team said.
The ReACT home stood out for its focus on home gardening and water re-use system, the judges said in a statement.
Source: The University of Maryland
Over nine days in Denver, the Decathlon's judges evaluated each home based on its affordability, livability, and eco-friendliness. Teams performed daily activities like cooking, laundry, and dishwashing to demonstrate the home's energy efficiency.
The team started designing the home more than 18 months ago. Its modular design has a "kit of parts," meaning the rooms can be customized based on the owner's needs.
It was built in sections. The materials were transported by Truck the competition site, and was assembled in eight days.
The team will now ship the structure back to Maryland and place it in an on-campus park next to a home that won second place in the 2007 Solar Decathlon.
Though the team doesn't have a specific client for the home, the students designed it for Native American communities — specifically Maryland tribes like the Nanticoke, due to their emphasis on self-sufficiency.
"ReACT embraces emerging sustainable building practices that promise to transform and support tribal housing projects, while also providing the two-thirds of Native Americans living in urban centers with housing options that support a more harmonious, balanced and sustainable interactions with the natural world," the team said.
In addition to growing crops, the enclosed greenhouse has a system that can capture, store, and distribute warm air throughout the home during colder months.
On the roof, solar panels capture energy that is stored and used to power the home.
A hidden mechanical room lets owners access wiring, hot water, and plumbing systems.
Down the hall, there is a living wall, which can grow leafy greens in nutrient-rich water. The plants are automatically watered through the bottom of the pot, using weather predictions and soil moisture as a guide. Any unused water is automatically filtered and then fed through the system again.
Inhabitants can control the growing trays, which are 3D-printed from recycled plastics, using a touchscreen panel on the wall.
"Conveniently located in the kitchen, residents can quickly harvest fresh garnishes and vegetables for whatever dish they may be preparing that night," the team wrote in an email.
