Tidewater Modular House Designs

Falls Church Opts to Promote Solar Decathlon

It was back in 2002 when the U.S. Department of Energy held its first Solar Decathlon, challenging collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive.

The event continued biennially in 2005, 2007, and 2009, with the fifth scheduled for Sept. 23–Oct. 2 at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C.

"The event involves 20 collegiate teams who submit a design and it has to be powered by solar energy and meet certain science specifications," said Tim Stevens, a member of the City of Fall Church's environmental services council, who is involved as a volunteer in the event. "There are 10 different categories in which they get points people can learn how energy-saving features can help them save money."

The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

This year, the Commonwealth of Virginia is represented by Team Tidewater, which is comprised of some of the most promising Old Dominion University and Hampton University architecture and engineering students.

Its "Unit 6 Unplugged" entry is a modular house that blends seamlessly into a historic center-city neighborhood, conceived of as part of a larger, six-unit multifamily building. By sharing infrastructure costs between units of the building, this energy efficient house is made more affordable.

"It's really inspirational to see the students who are very much involved," Stevens said. "They are there giving people tours and are eager to tell you about all the things they put together to make the houses really unique."

The University of Maryland also has a team and its entry, "WaterShed," proposes solutions to water and energy shortages. The house is a model of how the built environment can help preserve watersheds everywhere by managing storm water onsite, filtering pollutants from greywater, and minimizing water use.

The Basics about Modular Home Construction

Although the concept of modular construction seems relatively new because of the increasing interest, it has been around awhile.  The concept of modular construction is confusing for new home buyers mainly because it is confusing trying to discern the information you do come across about modular homes, the modular construction process and modular home manufacturers. Many people think that modular homes are cheap or inexpensive. As compared to the cost per square foot of a stick built home, they are less expensive. However, modular homes are an expensive investment especially depending on how large a home you build. They do, however, generally cost 10-35% less to build than traditional homes . When you are comparing new home construction prices, make sure you are comparing the same type of house i.e square footage, amount of bathrooms, etc.

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