THE RADIANT HOUSE

The Radiant House

“Winner of the Solar Solar Decathlon Contest 2013 in the Comfort Zone”

scu-logo

Location:
Santa Clara / Irvine, CA (USA
Building Type:
Residential, Modular Home
Year:
2013
Area:
910 sf
Owner:
Santa Clara University

Builder/GC:
Santa Clara University

Interior Designer:
Santa Clara University

Mechanical Engineer:
Santa Clara University

Mechanical Contractor:
Santa Clara University

The Radiant House was driven by three E’s: efficiency, economics, and elegance. It is an elegant, adaptable, and affordable house with a versatile great room, a large deck and patio area, and clean separation between private and public spaces.

The generous living space features high ceilings and clerestory windows that fill the interior with light and open to allow hot air to rise and escape.

Design Philosophy was guided by the belief that sustainable living can be affordable, appealing, and accessible to everyone. With an open floor plan and ramps leading to and from the house, Radiant House is fully accessible and features spacious rooms and an adaptable floor plan and furnishings.

The Solar Decathlon Contest

The Radiant House scored the first place in The Comfort Zone contest of the 2013 Solar Decathlon (October 2013, Irvine CA) organized by the U.S. Department of Energy.

After 10 days of competition with external temperatures ranging from 54F to 98F, the Messana Radiant Cooling and Heating system designed for “The Radiant House” was the HVAC system that scored the highest in both efficiency and the level of comfort.

Among the first three positions under the Comfort Zone contest, two houses were featuring a gypsum radiant ceiling. This demonstrates how effective a radiant ceiling can compete with the best available “air based” technologies that were implemented by the other competing university Teams.

The house features:

Bamboo joist system

PV Solar panels integrated into the roof structure

Electric vehicle charging station

5-Tons air-to-water Daikin Altherma

The radiant heating and cooling system embedded in the ceiling drywall uses Messana radiant panels to heat and cool the house with cold water ensuring a uniform environment

TESTIMONIAL

PROJECT DETAILS

Conditioning System: Radiant Cooling and Heating with 22 RayMagic gypsum ceiling panels.

Powered by: 3-Tons Daikin Altherma Split Type air-to-water heat pump.


704

Total Radiant Ceiling/Wall Area (sf)


910

Total Conditioned Area (sf)


77

Ratio (%)

PROJECT GALLERIES

Construction Gallery

Design Gallery

Solar Decathlon (October 2013, Irvine CA)

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