Among 81 teams around the world... KFUPM team reached the finals in Solar Decathlon Competition

A team made up of faculty and students from KFUPM’s College of Environmental Design was selected as one of the finalists for the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge competition organized by the US Department of Energy. 81 national and international teams submitted proposals for the competition, with 8 teams selected for the final. The University team put forward a proposal to design a Primary school ‘Bedayiah’".The ‘Bedayiah’ will be displayed in the finals of the competition which will be held in the City of Golden, Colorado, in the United States from 12 to 14 April, 2019.

Students participating in this project under the supervision of Dr. Shamim Javed and helping Dr. Adel Abdou, were Abdulaziz Bitrah, Amro Khalaf , Faisal Al-Humaidi, Abdulraham Alrobaie, Ali Alhussain, Bader Marroun, Hussain Aloqaili, Khalid Basorrah, Meshaal Almeshaal, Mohammed Rashdan, Omar Althaqafi, Saad Bin Harkan, Saleh Alghamdi, and Sulaiman Algosaibi.

In support of this ambitious competition, the Solar Decathlon tasks collegiate teams with developing innovative building solutions. Participating students get hands-on experience and unique training that prepares them to enter the clean energy workforce and influence others to pursue energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

Teams competing in the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge work for one to two academic semesters. Participants prepare creative solutions for real-world issues in the building industry.

Qualifying teams complete a design project and attend the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge Weekend, where they present their designs to a panel of industry expert jurors, compare their projects to those of other teams, learn from presentations by thought leaders and collegiate peers, and engage with a variety of organizations about energy careers.

The winners of the Solar Decathlon competition are the teams that best blend technology, market potential, and design excellence with smart energy efficiency and renewable energy production. Structured to reward projects that pursue thoughtful and influential innovation, teams are expected to demonstrate how the techniques, products, and solutions integrated into their competition entries can significantly impact the buildings market. The projects are developed by multidisciplinary teams, providing the opportunity to learn not only about building science but also about financial analysis, teamwork, oral and visual presentation, and other skills, key to ensuring the viability of building projects in the competition and beyond.