KlimaTisch Bielefeld e.V. (Germany)

Christiane Sibylle Lange was a founding member of the association KlimaTisch Bielefeld e.V. in September 2009.

About KlimaTisch Bielefeld e.V.:

The KlimaTisch Bielefeld e.V. is an association of committed entrepreneurs and companies that support clients with their projects for an energetic and needs-based modernization of their existing buildings, with new construction with future-proof concepts and age-appropriate living adaptations.

Their goal:

Every energetic modernization and building is only as effective as its weakest point - if clients leave out an important area when optimizing their house, the energy-saving values drop significantly. That's why they need partners with specialist knowledge and practical experience: The answer is The KlimaTisch Bielefeld e.V. members. All members rely on cross-trade planning and high-quality work.

Professional energy advice and sophisticated architectural planning are prerequisites for the successful renovation and modernization of a building, with comprehensive measures requiring an overlapping of a wide variety of work areas.

The KlimaTisch Bielefeld e.V members refer the clients to energy-saving, healthy living, and environmentally friendly products and solutions.

Solar Decathlon | AURAK - American University of Ras Al Khaimah (United Arab Emirates)

Executive Living Interior Design created the Interior Design Concept for participant AURAK American University Ras Al Khaimah, Al Bayt Al Kamel.

About the Solar Decathlon Middle East 2018:

The SDME 2018 embraces the goal of developing and promoting ideas, capacities, and technologies that can be implemented for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Middle East region. Each project must be a good response to the cultural, climatic, and social contexts, as well as a high-performance prototype that should successfully perform during the period during which it compares with others. All houses should be focused on solving the issues and needs for sustainable living in this region, where high temperatures, high humidity, and dust conditions prevail during most of the year.

The 2018 edition of this competition is organized by DEWA, in Dubai at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. 15 teams from 28 countries across the world came together to participate in the SDME 2018 in November.

After the success of the first edition, DEWA announced that its next edition would take place during the Expo 2020.

About the Solar Decathlon competition:

The Solar Decathlon is an international competition created by the U.S. Department of Energy in which universities from all over the world meet to design, build, and operate a grid-connected, solar-powered house.

The houses use solar energy as the only energy source and are equipped with all the technologies that permit maximum energy efficiency. During the final phase of the competition, teams assemble their houses in a main expo area, open to the general public, while undergoing the 10 contests of the competition, the reason for which this event is called Decathlon. (‘Deca’ derives from Greek and means ten).

The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002 and previous additions have been organized in different areas including the U.S., Europe, and China.

The objective of the competition:

The Solar Decathlon aims to design, build, and operate sustainable, cost-and-energy-efficient models of solar-powered homes. The team will first design the house, develop innovative solutions to climate problems, take into consideration the social factors of the region, and preserve the environment. The students will then try and apply these solutions when building the house to participate in the competition and compete with different universities from countries all over the world, to be evaluated by experts in this field from the Arab world and abroad. The competition also aims at raising awareness of the importance of using renewable energy sources and allowing students from all disciplines, especially engineering, to learn to apply the latest technologies and skills that provide a more sustainable lifestyle and address economic and community problems through the development of green solutions.

“Working to achieve its vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility, DEWA has remained steadfast in its commitment to adopt sustainability as a main priority for its strategic direction, plans, and initiatives, to support the long-term Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to develop a green economy in the UAE, and the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 launched by His Highness to transform Dubai into a global hub for clean energy and green economy. This will eventually provide 7% of Dubai's total power output from clean energy by 2020, 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050. Our sustainability objectives support the objectives of the Dubai Plan 2021, to make Dubai a city that is fully sustainable with its resources and supported by environmental elements that are clean, healthy, sustainable, and support the UAE Vision 2021,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and MD & CEO of DEWA.

The Decathlon reflected Dubai’s commitment to invest in innovation, which is one of the main priorities of the UAE. Our wise leadership, led by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, adopt innovation as an approach to finding solutions to future challenges. 

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah made it through the Solar Decathlon Middle East competition held in Dubai successfully with its first Net Zero energy house, Al-Bayt Al-Kamel, surviving the harsh hot weather of the United Arab Emirates.