Stevens Institute of Technology
IN-2: Innovation 2

For the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015, Stevens Institute of Technology will build SURE HOUSE , a sustainable, resilient house for coastal communities. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy killed 158 people, caused more than $65 billion in damage, and damaged or destroyed almost 350,000 homes in New Jersey alone. SURE HOUSE represents a new direction in coastal shore housing that will provide a safe, secure, comfortable, and architecturally innovative home for a family of four. SURE HOUSE will sit on a bed of pilotis, which are commonly used in flood-prone areas to slightly elevate buildings out of reach of flooding. Durable flood-shielding will be incorporated into the outer layers of the house to create a waterproof shell. Stevens students with expertise in engineering, energy efficiency, architecture, business, communications, management, and computer science are now creating this net-zero, solar-powered home on the Stevens campus. SURE HOUSE will ultimately be disassembled, transported to the competition site in Irvine, California, reassembled and exhibited by the Stevens student team for the duration of the Solar Decathlon competition and exhibition in October 2015. After the competition, the house will find its resting site in a shore community along the East Coast

Stevens’ participation in Solar Decathlon 2015 follows impressive performances in 2013 and 2011. In 2013, Stevens finished second in the United States and fourth globally with Ecohabit, a “smart house” that now serves as a net-zero veterans center on the California State University San Marcos campus. In 2011, Stevens joined with the New School University and Habitat for Humanity Washington, D.C. to create Empowerhouse, which won awards for affordability and hot water, and is now home to a working mother of three in an inner-city neighborhood.