TeamNYUAD - House of the Future

In response to the Solar Decathlon Middle East, Team NYU Abu Dhabi (TeamNYUAD) presents the first solar-powered, agricultural tourism destination in the UAE, combining fogponics and local food production at a household scale to comfortably connect guests with breathtaking landscapes and ambitious initiatives in food security and resource conservation.

The key element in this  agricultural tourism destination is a house made for the future. The house celebrates the past and future of food, culture and design in the Emirates, reimagining sustainable living – classic and modern interpretations of recipes from ingredients grown in nutrient-rich clouds, reclaimed wood, high-performance engineered materials, abundant natural light streaming through floor to ceiling windows with passive and active systems balancing energy use.

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Mindful that the future inevitably brings unforseen innovations, the house is designed to ease retrofitting and readily accommodate the continuous advancements in technology and infrastructure. Modular prefabrication enables smooth assembly while going above and beyond environmentally-friendly standard practices, offering novel approaches to construction methods. Technology seamlessly enhances user experiences by quietly monitoring, automating, and optimizing house functions with minimal user input.

These principles, in harmony, form the foundation of Team NYUAD’s future-ready house that addresses the challenges of the Solar Decathlon Middle East and beyond.

The project is the most intensive and impactful project of the Engineering Design Studio at NYUAD, spanning over 2 years of work and involving students across the Class of 2019-2021.