Virginia Tech
The house of the future is here. And it’s currently on display near Potomac Yards.
Virginia Tech’s FutureHAUS is a 900 sq. ft. home completely powered by solar energy and loaded with futuristic technology, much of it designed to accommodate aging in place and adapt to a resident’s specific needs.
FutureHAUS will be open to visitors from June 22 to Aug. 16 at 2602 Main Line Blvd, near the location of Virginia Tech’s future Innovation Campus. Public tours will be offered on Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The house is a product of years of research and development contributed by over 100 Virginia Tech students and faculty members across multiple departments and disciplines.
Their hard work was rewarded when FutureHAUS won first prize at the 2018 Solar Decathlon Middle East, a competition launched by the United States Department of Energy and the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai Electricity & Water authority to accelerate research on building sustainable homes. The team from Virginia Tech was the only American team in the contest. (Below: See the documentary about their project and win in the UAE.)
It isn’t hard to see why FutureHAUS blew the judges away. Since the complex engineering that powers the house is done off-site in a factory, the house only takes three days to assemble. It’s comprised of 18 components, none of which are wider than a flatbed truck. This makes it easy for the FutureHAUS to be transported and assembled anywhere.
“It’s kind of like building a house with Legos,” said Joseph Wheeler, architecture professor and lead faculty of the FutureHAUS project. “But the Lego pieces are smart.”
Indeed they are. Walking around FutureHAUS feels a bit like stepping into a science fiction movie, or an episode of the Jetsons. Sensors in the floors cause the lights to turn on and off, depending on where in the house a resident is. The mirror in the bedroom is a “smart mirror” that allows residents to mix and match clothes in their closet without having to try them on. Some of the walls are movable, allowing for residents to easily change the size of their rooms.
What sets FutureHAUS and its use of technology apart is the way it’s designed to accommodate residents as they age or encounter accessibility issues.
Virginia Tech
For example, all of the sinks in the house are adjustable, so a child, an NBA star, and a person in a wheelchair could all use the same sink with the same amount of ease.
In addition, FutureHAUS aims to address environmental concerns. It uses solar energy to power its many devices, and also includes a shower head that automatically sanitizes and reuses water in order to conserve it.
Prior to arriving in Alexandria, the FutureHAUS was on display in Times Square in New York City. While nobody will be living in it anytime soon, the project offers a glimpse of the potential future of the American home.
Take our advice: don’t miss it.
For more information, check out www.futurehaus.tech.
