Solar Decathlon: Curtains, screens and sunshades for the outside of the house
Mario Palan and Katharina Bauer make some minor adjustments to their team’s house on the first day of public viewing at the Solar Decathlon. The Austrian entry is an appealing free-flowing design that uses the exterior curtain, retractable deck shades and sliding glass to deliver various levels of shading, privacy and enclosure. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)
At right, Stefan Haider (in sunlight) and Mario Palan (in shade) have as their backdrop the lacy curtain that can wrap much of their team’s house. Combined with retractable screens above the deck lounges, the curtain helps to provide shade and privacy to the free-flowing outdoor living areas that are so crucial to the design. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)
Jeremy Haak, right, shows the green exterior blinds that automatically close as temperatures rise, shielding the inside of the house from the heat. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)
Jacob Morgan, part of a Canadian entry consisting of students from Queen’s University, Carlton University and Algonquin College, demonstrates how his team’s Android app controls exterior shades on kitchen windows. At far left, one of the shades can be seen at its midway point. The outdoor canvas used for the shades is not fully opaque, so even when the shades are fully closed, an occupant in the house could still tell if, for example, a person were standing on the deck outside. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)
Nasar Saghafi, left, and Robin Caldwell talk next to the laser-cut metal screen, whose perforations form the silhouette of a mesquite tree. Exterior shading was key to the team’s effort to outdoor and interior living areas cooler. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)
The view up with shade retracted. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)
USC’s house centers on an expansive skylight that brings light to the heart of the house and vents hot air out. A retractable shade allows the feature to reduce some of the direct sunlight entering the house without interfering with the passive ventilation design. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)
Jana Hlavackova stands outside her team’s house, which sits within an open wood frame that keeps the living quarters in shade. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)