Progetto del Team KNOW-HOWse, competizione internazionale Solar Decathlon Middle East 2018, Dubai

Team Sharjah is composed of the University of Sharjah (UOS), leader institution, and Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (SHUROOQ). UOS is an academic institution with a distinctive learning style and a global vision. It is a pioneer in academia, scientific research and arts in the UAE. The Architectural Engineering Department (AE) will coordinate the team thanks to its expertise in design and construction management. SHUROOQ will assist with technical issues and connecting with potential sponsors. The team comprises also a scientific third-party, Architettura>Energia Research Centre (University of Ferrara, Italy) and two sponsors: Bee’ah and X-lam Dolomiti S.r.l. Key members and third parties will cooperate in synergy to meet the SDME goals. The extended team is currently involved in research, design consultancy, projects, and training services for public administrations, companies, and privates, in the fields of energy efficiency and environmental quality of buildings and urban spaces. These activities include: accredited energy assessment; membership of GBC and LEED Scientific Committee; energy consultancy for architecture and engineering companies; research and application of BiPV. Project Goal. Know-Howse is an educational program. The SDME prototype house will be a showcase for innovation and energy efficiency practices that will educate society to sobriety. Nowadays, UAE is responsible for one of the largest residential energy consumption in the world. Such unaware habit is the result of lacking education on resources consumption, but is also implicitly supported by the local policies on the (low) tariffs for electricity and water. The education program aims at increasing environmental awareness by rediscovering a new dimension of “living small but comfortably”. Yet, Know-Howse represents just one tile of a larger framework that involves society, economics, and urbanism. To this regard, the prototype house is conceived as a test-unit extracted form an innovative apartment building that combines occupants’ comfort with environmental goals such as reducing land-use and resource consumption.