• Vitro Cristalglass participates once again in the UPM project that participates in one of the most celebrated competitions of sustainable construction in the world
• By supplying its glass, the company demonstrates its commitment to sustainable architecture, renewable energy and energy efficiency

29 students received their diploma.

Vitro Cristalglass, the European affiliate of the Mexican transnational, was responsible for supplying all the glass for the glass surfaces of the “Black and White House”, a project for sustainable housing that the Graduate School for Architecture of the Madrid Polytechnic University (UPM) presents in the competition called the Solar Decathlon that takes place in Washington, D.C.

Organized by the Department of Energy of the USA and being held since 2002, the competition challenges universities from all over the world to design and build a prototype of a energy self sufficient dwelling that functions only from solar energy connected to its electrical circuits that allows for maximization of energy efficiency.

The competition has three principal objectives:

Sensitize the students that participate to the multiple advantages and options for the use of renewable energy and efficient construction in the area of energy utilization.

Raise awareness in the general public about renewable energy, energy efficiency and the technologies currently available to help them reduce their consumption. The Solar Decathlon is open to the public so that the visitors can see technology in action.

Promote solar technology so it spreads more quickly into practical applications.

A team formed by 25 members from UPM was in charge of designing the project “The B&W House”, a dwelling that is based on the interrelationship between earth and the sun. It synthesizes the expression of a prismatic dwelling constructed on earth with its energy source being the sun.

Earth, in its rotation around the sun, acquires the necessary energy to allow for ecological friendly buildings and efficiency in sustainable housing by harnessing nature.

The “B&W House” breaks from the traditional concept of roofing by being converted into two different elements. First, a traditional passive roof that thermally isolates the home from the exterior and, secondly, an active upper deck comprised of solar panels.

Vitro Cristalglass cooperates with the project by supplying different types of glass. The selected format was double glazing ISOLAR® GLAS in which a combination of 4mm tempered glass TEMPLEX® and low emission NEUTRALUX® plus a triple glazed 4mm NEUTRALUX® that avoids energy transfer between both sides of the glazed glass (U=0,4W/m2K), combined with 4mm thick tempered glass TEMPLEX®  all with 12mm chambers of argon glass.

For more information:

http://www.solardecathlon.org

http://www.vitro.com/cristal_glass/espanol/home.htm

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