Sept 06, 2011
A unique structure in the urban landscape has arisen on a plaza of The City College of New York campus over the past few months. Designed and built by CCNY students, faculty and team sponsors, it is meant to be installed on the roofs of commercial and residential buildings in high-density urban centers. Dubbed the Solar Roof Pod, it showcases cutting-edge green technology inside and out, including a novel heating and cooling system with more than twice the energy efficiency of conventional units.
The Solar Roof Pod is CCNY’s entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, a collegiate competition to design, build and operate a solar home. Members of Team New York – students and faculty advisors from the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture and the Grove School of Engineering – will take it to Washington, where it will be exhibited on the National Mall and judged in the competition’s 10 categories. It is the only entry designed specifically for the dense, urban environment.
The model’s living space and integrated garden is meant to tap the plentiful sun, rain and air of New York’s unused rooftop real estate. Team New York contends such solar-powered smart houses could turn the bare expanses of scores of mid-rise buildings into urban oases that not only live off-the-grid, but also supply surplus energy to their host buildings.
“The pod can produce about 10 kilowatts of energy, about two times what a normal house needs,” said Christian Volkmann, associate professor of architecture and project director.
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