Living light

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville was chosen as one of the 20 teams to compete in the Solar Decathlon 2011 competition. Pursuing low energy, a small footprint, and maximum use of daylighting and passive design strategies, the team chose the concept Living Light for our home. The home is a retreat from visual and physical clutter while integrating technology seamlessly into the design. The rich timeline of developments in climatic design and energy research within the State of Tennessee have also been a primary source of inspiration for the Living Light concept. Through our analysis we developed a 6 simple strategies that drove our design for the competition.

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Living Light: Walkthrough

Only one week before the 2011 Solar Decathlon houses will begin assembling on the National Mall’s West Potomic park in Washington, D.C. The homes will make their debut on September 23rd and be open to the public until October 2nd displaying sustainability and »
by on 7th Sep 11
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Living Light: Engineering

The second in a series of videos for the Solar Decathlon describes the systems of the Living Light home. We are proud to say that there is not a component of the house that does not integrate design and aesthetics with functionality and performance. This engineering »
by on 29th Aug 11
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Living Light: Architecture

The Solar Decathlon competition encourages teams to create videos documenting the many cutting edge ideas that are incorporated in their homes. The first of Team Tennessee’s video series is an overview of the architecture of the Living Light house, documenting »
by on 23rd Aug 11
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Living Light Interiors

One of the defining aspects of the Living Light interior is that it challenges the way we think about a traditional home, adopting a loft like space in a stand-alone home. Rather than dividing the house into separate partitions devoted to different uses, the interior »
by on 15th Aug 11
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Mr. Photon Educational Videos

With education being at the forefront of the Living Light endeavor, we want to provide ways to reach people of all ages and educate them about our home and sustainability. Enter Mr. Photon. Mr. Photon is the mascot of the Living Light house whose mission is to educate »
by on 30th Jun 11
Photo by Alan Reece

Light Brings Life To The Living Light House

The Living Light house uses glass for transparency, day lighting, and views to the surrounding environment. Alternating translucent and transparent panes allow for views of the landscape while maintaining a sense of »
by on 5th Jun 11
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Solar Integration

When looking around at solar installations on buildings today, too many seem to be an afterthought to their original design, a feature installed at its proper angle with little thought to its integration with the building as a whole. While in many cases, this may be a »
by on 19th May 11
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Smart Facade

Typically, energy efficient construction is thought to necessitate dense, highly insulated walls to reduce heat transfer between the interior space and the outside. The Living Light house proves just the opposite, making extensive use of glass for transparency, »
by on 10th May 11
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