A different way to build a house #58 – Virginia Tech’s LumenHaus

Virginia Tech’s LumenHaus uses the sun’s light in several different ways. It provides light and passive heating inside the home, powers solar panels on the home and helps plants grow to recycle greywater:

This New House

The key is to use smart planning and technological advances to not merely adapt the home, but rethink its most basic design and function. To demonstrate what such a house might look like, our team of professors and students at Virginia Tech designed and built Lumenhaus. With functional spaces and a modest size that allows for efficient energy use, Lumenhaus won the 2010 Solar Decathlon Europe, a competition that brought together 17 college teams from around the world in Madrid.

The house has a number of innovative features. An introduction:

Moving the house:

The house is on the smaller side – 800 square feet. You can find photos and a floor plan Here. The official website: Lumenhaus. The house won several awards including the American Institute of Architects, 2012 AIA Honor Award.

Other House Ideas

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