On the afternoon of August 31, the 2012 European Solar Decathlon team of Tongji University entered the competition venue after completing a series of registration procedures, and officially started to build the Para Eco-House in Madrid, Spain.

It is learned that the entire period of competition from house building to open visit and appraisal is nearly one month. The Para Eco-House will compete with other solar residential buildings from other 19 universities all around the world.There are 10 judge indicators such as architectural design, engineering and construction, solar energy system, power energy balance, comfort, the prospects of industrialization, innovation, sustainability, and etc. The contest judges will grade the participating solar buildings according to the 10 indicators, and the champion team will be the one who gets the highest total score.

The “Para Eco-House” combines both parametric and ecological strategies into the logic of the architectural language used in the house design. Both ‘Passive’ and ‘Active’ energy systems are utilized in this project. Going beyond the functional and environmental requirements, the team creates a paradigm for a low carbon future.