Purdue University
IN-3: Innovation 3

In the fall of 2011, a team of Purdue students competed in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. The team designed and built a net zero energy home called the INhome and won second place among the twenty schools from around the world who participated. The team’s performance is especially outstanding because it was the first year that Purdue competed. The home uses passive design to lower heating, cooling, and lighting demands and uses solar photovoltaic panels on the roof to meet its energy needs. Air inside the home is passed through a living biowall of plants integrated into the ventilation system to filter out contaminants and improve indoor air quality. A major goal of the project was for the house to look like a typical Midwestern home so that it would be attractive to the average homebuyer and could be easily integrated into the community. An estimated 250 students were involved in the INhome project. Since the competition the house has been moved to a developing community in the city of Lafayette. While the house is now a private home, long-term research continues on the efficiency and performance of the house. The house was awarded Gold Certification by the National Association of Home Builders Using national green building standards. Because of the INhome’s unique yet practical design, NAHB also named it the Project of the Year for the Single-Family Concept and Research-Academic categories.