Team Sharjah Wins 2nd Place in Solar Decathlon Middle East 2021
- Sarah Shihabi
- Jan 26, 2022
- 2 min read
Team Sharjah is a group of students and instructors representing the University of Sharjah through project SHARE|< at the Solar Decathlon Middle East 2021 in Dubai. The project was managed by Dr. Vittorino Belpoliti from the Architectural Engineering department in collaboration with Dr. Chaouki Ghenai from the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering department. The project also included the Environmental Engineering department, the College of Sciences, and the College of Health Sciences.
The Solar Decathlon is an international competition where students are challenged to design, build, and operate a solar-powered house. The SDME was organized by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and the United States Department of Energy. The competition took place in the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park with the aim of addressing the challenges and requirements for a sustainable lifestyle in the Middle East, which is characterized by extremely harsh weather conditions such as high temperatures, humidity, and dust.
Over a period of 2 weeks, 8 different teams have assembled their houses. The following 2 weeks were dedicated to the contest period which included operation, monitoring, and juries.
Team Sharjah has been working on the project for over 2 years in order to design and construct a functioning solar-powered house incorporating state-of-the-art solutions and systems.
The team has ranked 2nd overall in the competition and won the following awards:
1st Place Winner in:
Architectural Design
Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV)
2nd Place Winner in:
Comfort Conditions
Interior Design Innovation
3rd Place Winner in:
Energy efficiency House Functioning
Engineering and Construction Sustainability
Creative Solutions Energy Management
Sustainable Transportation
As shown in the attached photos, we have worked hard as a team day and night throughout both the construction and operation periods. A massive thank you to each member because they have all put so much time and effort not only into designing and building the SHARE|< house, but also into supporting, motivating, and believing in each other until the end. While the competition is over, the project is not. The SHARE|< house is part of ongoing research and is currently being disassembled and relocated back to the University of Sharjah campus.
For more information on Team Sharjah and project SHARE:
Interviews:
For more information on the Sharjah Architectural Student Association:
email: sasa@sharjah.ac.ae
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