As temperatures rise, homes around the world turn on air conditioners at the expense of electricity bills and the environment.
To offer a sustainable cooling alternative, a team of students from National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) leveraged an innovative greenhouse technology used to cultivate orchids to create Orchid House, a prototype home with an eco-friendly climate control solution. This design was created for Solar Decathlon Europe 2014, which they went on to win.
Orchid House, powered by solar panels, aims to be a model of energy-efficient and comfortable housing.
Because NCTU is located in Taiwan, a country known for its stifling tropical summers, it's not a huge surprise that the team decided to modify the unsustainable and ubiquitous air conditioning practices of their country.
The students aimed to create a comfortable and cool indoor climate using as little energy as possible. Although Orchid House is developed according to Taiwanese local conditions, its affordable construction could be adopted in various environments worldwide.
Inspired by the symbiotic relationship orchids have with nature, Orchid House attracts and captures natural light through a photovoltaic system and uses a thermal wall to regulate interior temperatures. The house also recycles and collects rainwater, which is used for irrigation and the evaporative cooling technology system.
Once warm air enters the house, it is cooled as it passes through the "water wall" subunit and is then circulated throughout the house via large but silent fans.
Similar to how orchids grow above trees, Orchid House is very lightweight and can be built on top of existing structures. Its design makes it easy for builders to expand.
