The College of Arts + Architecture hosted more than 20 engineers and executives from Ingersoll Rand, Wednesday, June 26, to assist in building the Solar Decathlon house UrbanEden. The Ingersoll Rand guests helped pour geopolymer tiles that will be used in the structure’s rain catchment troughs.
UrbanEden is the name of the house that more than 50 students and faculty from the School of Architecture, Lee College of Engineering and Belk College of Business are building for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition to be held in Irvine, Calif., in October.
UNC Charlotte is one of only 20 teams selected to participate in the prestigious Solar Decathlon competition. Through a series of 10 contests, academic teams from around the world compete to build completely solar-powered houses that feature energy-efficient construction, appliances and renewable energy systems. Established in 2002, the Solar Decathlon has grown into one of the most highly anticipated design competitions in the world, hosting more than 300,000 visitors in 2011.
Ingersoll Rand, a national supporter of the Solar Decathlon, has donated $100,000 and in-kind support through its Nexia, Schlage, Tran and Ingersoll Rand branded products to UNC Charlotte’s UrbanEden. Ingersoll Rand engineers also have served as consultants for the team.
A $14 billion global business, Ingersoll Rand is committed to a world of sustainable progress and enduring results to advance the quality of life by creating and sustaining safe, comfortable and efficient environments. Ingersoll Rand’s North American headquarters and corporate center are located in Davidson, and the company employs more than 1,800 employees in six locations around the Charlotte area.
UNC Charlotte’s Solar Decathlon team will complete UrbanEden this summer and test it on the UNC Charlotte campus before transporting it to California in September. After the competition, the team’s goal is to bring the house back to Charlotte for use as a research lab.