TeamSPAIN is back in Madrid! We are very happy to be back in town, although some of us are still a little jet-lagged. We already miss working at The National Mall, bonding with the other teams, and experiencing the excitement of the competition.
First of all, we would like to congratulate Team Germany, the winner of the Solar Decathlon competition. Right from the start, even during assembly, we knew that these guys were a team to watch. They exhibited great discipline, focus, knowledge, and brilliant organization, and step by step, they conquered the Solar Village.
We also want to congratulate the rest of the teams for their great designs and wonderful spirit. It's a shame we didn't have the opportunity to get to know each other better, but the honor of being a Decathlete is something that we all shared, and we've brought that feeling of pride back home with us.
The DOE and the rest of the organizers did a fantastic job coordinating the competition and making all the events run like clockwork. We are very grateful to them for their effort and the passion that went into preparing and running this competition.
We've returned home happy with our results. The public loved the House and were amazed by our innovations. We had thousands of visitors pass through, and at one point peaked with 3,500 visits in one five-hour period! We had a lot of media outlets visit the site, and calling to request photos and interviews. The Times and The Washington Post featured articles with the houses competing in the Solar Decathlon, and with pictures of The Black&White House.
Our Facebook fan site has been updated with pictures from the competition. You can take a look at them here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-BW-House-TeamSPAIN/96315127907
At the moment, we are in the process of wrapping everything up, thanking our sponsors, and discussing our next steps. We plan to show the House at fairs, and are working to make our technological patents and innovations available to consumers, so feel free to get in touch with the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid if you are interested in getting involved with these endeavors.
We hope you had a great time following TeamSPAIN and The Black&White House as we prepared and competed in the Solar Decathlon 2009. We are very grateful for all your support!
TeamSPAIN
martes, 27 de octubre de 2009
miércoles, 14 de octubre de 2009
A house in the middle of the street
We have had an intense couple of days. The awards for Market Viability, Architecture, and Communication have been made public, and teams have been rewarded for their efforts, dedication, and ability to make their ideas a reality.
TeamSPAIN did not have the honor of being in the top three for these awards, but it has been immensely satisfying talking to the judges and demonstrating the effort we've made, and we've felt a great sense of completion after taking the time to explain the concepts behind The Black&White House.
We are also having fun during the house tours. Visitors have fallen in love with our project and our innovations. We've noticed a sense of awe from the majority of the public when we show them our rotating roof, the moving walls, and our transportation system. The response from the public has given us great satisfaction, and we hope to see a similar response from Decathletes from other teams during the team tours.
TeamSPAIN
TeamSPAIN did not have the honor of being in the top three for these awards, but it has been immensely satisfying talking to the judges and demonstrating the effort we've made, and we've felt a great sense of completion after taking the time to explain the concepts behind The Black&White House.
We are also having fun during the house tours. Visitors have fallen in love with our project and our innovations. We've noticed a sense of awe from the majority of the public when we show them our rotating roof, the moving walls, and our transportation system. The response from the public has given us great satisfaction, and we hope to see a similar response from Decathletes from other teams during the team tours.
TeamSPAIN
lunes, 12 de octubre de 2009
Media, media, media...
It is such a pleasure for us to be seen on Spanish TV.
http://www.rtve.es/mediateca/videos/20091009/las-energias-renovables-siguen-ganando-terreno/602141.shtml
But we are also receiving media attention from blogs, newspapers, foreign TV broadcasters and magazines, so it is difficult to keep track of it all. It is a great reward to see such a response from our communication efforts, and while our main focus is on the competition, it is very exciting to see that our work has had an impact outside of The National Mall.
Today we will be hosting a second dinner party, and we hope to delight our neighbors with some delicious Spanish food. A quick note to those who are suspicious about our local cuisine: Spanish food is not spicy, Mexican food is ;-)
Wishing you another great competition day...
TeamSPAIN
http://www.rtve.es/mediateca/videos/20091009/las-energias-renovables-siguen-ganando-terreno/602141.shtml
But we are also receiving media attention from blogs, newspapers, foreign TV broadcasters and magazines, so it is difficult to keep track of it all. It is a great reward to see such a response from our communication efforts, and while our main focus is on the competition, it is very exciting to see that our work has had an impact outside of The National Mall.
Today we will be hosting a second dinner party, and we hope to delight our neighbors with some delicious Spanish food. A quick note to those who are suspicious about our local cuisine: Spanish food is not spicy, Mexican food is ;-)
Wishing you another great competition day...
TeamSPAIN
domingo, 11 de octubre de 2009
Defining Moment - Jury Tours
Saturday was a great day for our team. For those unfamiliar with the competition, we get scored and those points go toward our final placement. Some of those points come from subjective contests in which a board of juries evaluates our efforts and ideas in architecture, communication, and the market viability of the project.
During Saturday morning, we were visited by three groups of judges who first listened to our presentation for twenty minutes, and then took another ten minutes to discuss their impressions amongst themselves. During the next few days we will be hearing what those impressions were and will be receiving a score from them. We cannot wait to see what they thought of of our concept and our House.
After the jury visits, we opened the House to the public and received 1403 visitors. We finished the day at 10pm, when we switched off the lights and left The National Mall for the evening. Today, Sunday, we will be receiving our neighbors for a movie night. It should be a lot of fun.
TeamSPAIN
...check out the scores at www.solardecathlon.org
During Saturday morning, we were visited by three groups of judges who first listened to our presentation for twenty minutes, and then took another ten minutes to discuss their impressions amongst themselves. During the next few days we will be hearing what those impressions were and will be receiving a score from them. We cannot wait to see what they thought of of our concept and our House.
After the jury visits, we opened the House to the public and received 1403 visitors. We finished the day at 10pm, when we switched off the lights and left The National Mall for the evening. Today, Sunday, we will be receiving our neighbors for a movie night. It should be a lot of fun.
TeamSPAIN
...check out the scores at www.solardecathlon.org
viernes, 9 de octubre de 2009
Dinner Party
Today, the luckiest of the Decathletes in Washington are going to enjoy a special dinner party with a menu prepared by Chef José Andrés (of the ThinkFoodGroup). Tomorrow, we'll get to read their reviews.
Competition Day 1 - Inauguration Day
Hello Everybody,
As some of our Professors like to say, it is one thing to build a Ferrari, and it is quite another to drive one. Up until this moment, we've been in building mode, but now it's racing time. What we need is to shift gears, and events like the inauguration ceremony and the visit from our main sponsor, the Spanish Minister of Housing, make that transition easier.
Our first day has been filled with some truly unforgettable moments. We opened The Black&White House to the public, and we have been visited by the DOE Solar Decathlon master and commander, Richard King. We also had a visit from our friend and sponsor Jose Andrés, head of ThinkFoodGroup, who will be preparing our dinner menu for the competition. Also, we were quite surprised to find UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon taking a walk through the interior living space.
On the first day we had 1116 visitors, and the feedback we received so far has been very positive. We are eager to see what happens on Day Two! Also, we are going to keep updating in real time from The Mall using Twitter, so look us up and follow our Tweets!
http://twitter.com/teamspain
TeamSPAIN
As some of our Professors like to say, it is one thing to build a Ferrari, and it is quite another to drive one. Up until this moment, we've been in building mode, but now it's racing time. What we need is to shift gears, and events like the inauguration ceremony and the visit from our main sponsor, the Spanish Minister of Housing, make that transition easier.
Our first day has been filled with some truly unforgettable moments. We opened The Black&White House to the public, and we have been visited by the DOE Solar Decathlon master and commander, Richard King. We also had a visit from our friend and sponsor Jose Andrés, head of ThinkFoodGroup, who will be preparing our dinner menu for the competition. Also, we were quite surprised to find UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon taking a walk through the interior living space.
On the first day we had 1116 visitors, and the feedback we received so far has been very positive. We are eager to see what happens on Day Two! Also, we are going to keep updating in real time from The Mall using Twitter, so look us up and follow our Tweets!
http://twitter.com/teamspain
TeamSPAIN
miércoles, 7 de octubre de 2009
Ready, steady, go!
Well, the big day has finally arrived!
Today is October 7th, and we are cleaning up and preparing to start the competition. It has been a tough week for us, and while we've loved working at The National Mall, our fun has been mixed with long hours, little sleep, and lots of sweat, but now the House is looking good and we are prepared to compete.
Today we will have a reception for our main sponsor, the Spanish Minister of Housing, Beatriz Corredor. Also our sculptor, Juan Bordes, has come for a visit to see how his work looks juxtaposed next to The B&W House. Faculty and staff from the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid and from their research departments have also come to wish us well, and we couldn't be more thrilled. The sense of anticipation fills the air not only at The National Mall, but everywhere we go. We're anxious to start competing, but we're ready!
TeamSPAIN
Today is October 7th, and we are cleaning up and preparing to start the competition. It has been a tough week for us, and while we've loved working at The National Mall, our fun has been mixed with long hours, little sleep, and lots of sweat, but now the House is looking good and we are prepared to compete.
Today we will have a reception for our main sponsor, the Spanish Minister of Housing, Beatriz Corredor. Also our sculptor, Juan Bordes, has come for a visit to see how his work looks juxtaposed next to The B&W House. Faculty and staff from the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid and from their research departments have also come to wish us well, and we couldn't be more thrilled. The sense of anticipation fills the air not only at The National Mall, but everywhere we go. We're anxious to start competing, but we're ready!
TeamSPAIN
jueves, 1 de octubre de 2009
TeamSPAIN Presents its PV Patents used for “The B&W House” in Germany
The 24th European Photovoltaic Conference was held this past week in Hamburg, Germany. This Conference is the most international event focused on photovoltaic innovations, and TeamSPAIN was there to promote “The B&W House” project for the US Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2009. This event provided our Decathletes with an extraordinary opportunity to learn and exchange information on the latest developments in science and industry. In addition, we were proud to showcase the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid's two patents: The New PV Mobile Modules System and the New PV Self-Orientating Solar Roof Based on a Balanced Movement.
Participants included nearly 950 companies, more than 4,200 conference delegates, and approximately 40,000 visitors from more than 100 countries.
miércoles, 30 de septiembre de 2009
99 brown boxes by TeamSPAIN feat: Nena
Hi folks! 99 + 1 boxes are on their way to Washington, and it's been hard work all the way, we can assure you!
But the boxes are finally ready and taped up, so... the DC airport is going to be flooded with brown boxes very soon!
Be careful with Box 32, please. It is very, very fragile :)
But the boxes are finally ready and taped up, so... the DC airport is going to be flooded with brown boxes very soon!
Be careful with Box 32, please. It is very, very fragile :)
viernes, 25 de septiembre de 2009
NAHB Meets The B&W House
Today we had a very special visit in Bowie. The NAHB Research Center team paid us a visit, and it was wonderful to see how pleased they were both with the tour and with the House. We began by giving them a presentation of the project and our competition strategy from a theoretical viewpoint, showing our videos, our setup for the Mall, and finally convincing them that ours is the best project competing.
After theory came practice, and once they were able to see the rooftop movement with their own eyes, they were left quite impressed. Following the spectacular viewing of the exterior of the House, we took them inside to show them the interior and the installations, all the while answering their questions, and to give them a short demonstration of the home automation systems that run the House.
The result of this encounter was a general feeling of satisfaction, both among the members of our team and among the NAHB team members, whose enthusiasm rubbed off on us and gave us an extra push as we begin the final sprint to the competition. They were lucky to be the first to get a full tour of the House that's going to win the next Solar Decathlon competition!
After theory came practice, and once they were able to see the rooftop movement with their own eyes, they were left quite impressed. Following the spectacular viewing of the exterior of the House, we took them inside to show them the interior and the installations, all the while answering their questions, and to give them a short demonstration of the home automation systems that run the House.
The result of this encounter was a general feeling of satisfaction, both among the members of our team and among the NAHB team members, whose enthusiasm rubbed off on us and gave us an extra push as we begin the final sprint to the competition. They were lucky to be the first to get a full tour of the House that's going to win the next Solar Decathlon competition!
miércoles, 23 de septiembre de 2009
Spot the differences
There has been a problem printing some of our brochures... can you spot the differences!
Decathletes all over the world
TeamSPAIN has been working hard preparing for the competition. At this very moment, there is a group of Decathletes in Bowie (USA), another in Hamburg (Germany), and a third in Madrid, all working hard to arrive at the Washington Mall in perfect shape, ready to score maximum points in every of the ten competition events.
The Project Manager, Josep Adell, is already in Bowie, along with the Construction Chief Edgar Lombana, and Decathletes Sara Gil and Victor Marcos Morell, who are being assisted by Luis Lozano and Hugo Bueno. This team has assembled the House, and is running through a final set of tests and simulations of the various bioclimatic systems of The Black&White House.
Irene Garrido and Javier Mata are currently in Hamburg, presenting our solar capture technologies at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, reinforcing our efforts to spread the word about the project and to commercialize our patents.
In Madrid, the rest of the team is engaged in preparing for the contest and putting together collateral materials, which will be exhibited in the Mall and distributed to visitors of The Black&White House.
We encourage you all to follow our progress through the website, this blog, and our Facebook group. We need all the help and encouragement we can get from you guys. We send our greetings, and in just a few short days we'll be standing at the starting line, waiting for the starter gun to mark the beginning of the Solar Decathlon 2009.
TeamSPAIN
The Project Manager, Josep Adell, is already in Bowie, along with the Construction Chief Edgar Lombana, and Decathletes Sara Gil and Victor Marcos Morell, who are being assisted by Luis Lozano and Hugo Bueno. This team has assembled the House, and is running through a final set of tests and simulations of the various bioclimatic systems of The Black&White House.
Irene Garrido and Javier Mata are currently in Hamburg, presenting our solar capture technologies at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, reinforcing our efforts to spread the word about the project and to commercialize our patents.
In Madrid, the rest of the team is engaged in preparing for the contest and putting together collateral materials, which will be exhibited in the Mall and distributed to visitors of The Black&White House.
We encourage you all to follow our progress through the website, this blog, and our Facebook group. We need all the help and encouragement we can get from you guys. We send our greetings, and in just a few short days we'll be standing at the starting line, waiting for the starter gun to mark the beginning of the Solar Decathlon 2009.
TeamSPAIN
jueves, 17 de septiembre de 2009
Contest Preparation...
Hello Everyone!
Repetition is the mother of all learning and the father of a few headaches here and there, but here at TeamSPAIN we keep on repeating the drill, preparing ourselves for the contests.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the dynamics of the competition, our House has to undergo ten different tests. Some of them are objective and involve energy metering, temperature, humidity, and basically anything that can be measured and compared in order to receive a particular score. The other contests are more subjective, and require not only our strategy, but our ability to present the House to the jury. These five subjective tests are:
- Architecture
- Market Viability
- Engineering
- Lighting Design
- Communications
We are going through rounds of role-playing, in which the architects, engineers, and the rest of the students, rehearse for their explanation of the House in front of the jury. Here you can see us working towards creating an excellent presentation, putting our brains together and giving the best of ourselves!!
There's only 20 days left!!
TeamSPAIN
Repetition is the mother of all learning and the father of a few headaches here and there, but here at TeamSPAIN we keep on repeating the drill, preparing ourselves for the contests.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the dynamics of the competition, our House has to undergo ten different tests. Some of them are objective and involve energy metering, temperature, humidity, and basically anything that can be measured and compared in order to receive a particular score. The other contests are more subjective, and require not only our strategy, but our ability to present the House to the jury. These five subjective tests are:
- Architecture
- Market Viability
- Engineering
- Lighting Design
- Communications
We are going through rounds of role-playing, in which the architects, engineers, and the rest of the students, rehearse for their explanation of the House in front of the jury. Here you can see us working towards creating an excellent presentation, putting our brains together and giving the best of ourselves!!
There's only 20 days left!!
TeamSPAIN
miércoles, 16 de septiembre de 2009
New Website Update
Hello Everyone!
Have you noticed anything different at www.solardecathlon.es? Well, to begin with, we are giving you the first heads up. Every time you visit the website, you will be welcomed with a video of our recent activities. You will also be able to check out the new sections we've added, which are being updated daily with new information and pictures.
Once the competition begins, you will be able to follow the schedule of our activities in the calendar section, which will also be updated daily along with this blog. Things are happening fast, so stay tuned and and follow us as we approach the big day!
www.solardecathlon.es
TeamSPAIN
Have you noticed anything different at www.solardecathlon.es? Well, to begin with, we are giving you the first heads up. Every time you visit the website, you will be welcomed with a video of our recent activities. You will also be able to check out the new sections we've added, which are being updated daily with new information and pictures.
Once the competition begins, you will be able to follow the schedule of our activities in the calendar section, which will also be updated daily along with this blog. Things are happening fast, so stay tuned and and follow us as we approach the big day!
www.solardecathlon.es
TeamSPAIN
martes, 15 de septiembre de 2009
Bowie, Sweet Bowie
Hello Everyone!
TeamSPAIN is currently split into two. Some of us are still in Madrid, while the rest are in Bowie, on the other side of the Atlantic, preparing The Black&White House for its final round of tests. We will keep you updated along the way, but for starters, here are some pictures of the prototype getting acquainted with American trucks.
TeamSPAIN is currently split into two. Some of us are still in Madrid, while the rest are in Bowie, on the other side of the Atlantic, preparing The Black&White House for its final round of tests. We will keep you updated along the way, but for starters, here are some pictures of the prototype getting acquainted with American trucks.
miércoles, 9 de septiembre de 2009
Following the Sun to Bowie
Dear friends,
Good news! The B&W House has hit the shores of Baltimore and is in pristine condition. The first module is already in Bowie, where the House will be tested again. Over the next few days, we will be transporting the other two modules, and have them for assembly.
And the clock keeps ticking away...
TeamSPAIN
lunes, 7 de septiembre de 2009
The first members of TeamSPAIN have departed for Washington
Hello Dear Readers!
The B&W House is quickly approaching the American shore, and our first teammates have flown off to Washington. They must reach the US before the House in order to accept it and pass through customs.
A second cohort is packing their bags, and a new batch of Decathletes should also be arriving soon. They need to get to the house and start testing all the systems to check whether the House is doing okay after 22 days at sea!
Good luck fellas!
The B&W House is quickly approaching the American shore, and our first teammates have flown off to Washington. They must reach the US before the House in order to accept it and pass through customs.
A second cohort is packing their bags, and a new batch of Decathletes should also be arriving soon. They need to get to the house and start testing all the systems to check whether the House is doing okay after 22 days at sea!
Good luck fellas!
lunes, 17 de agosto de 2009
Gone baby, GONE!
The B&W House is now crossing the Atlantic Ocean and headed towards Baltimore! In the meantime, we are preparing for the contests and other surprises that await us during the Solar Decathlon Competition!!!! Check out the photo of some of our decathletes as they enjoy the sunset and emulate “Lunchtime atop a Skyscraper” (1932).
See you soon!
viernes, 31 de julio de 2009
Goodbye Madrid!!!!!
The Decathletes and the B&W House are ready to win the Solar Decathlon 2009!!!
TeamSPAIN bids farewell to Madrid from the Alcalá Gate!
GOODBYE!!
TeamSPAIN bids farewell to Madrid from the Alcalá Gate!GOODBYE!!
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