Ladies and Gentlemen,
For us with the Nottingham H.O.U.S.E, the Solar Decathlon Europe competition did not run exactly as we had expected. We imagined a month spent in the Sun celebrating our build, but in reality we had a lot more work to undertake before any sangria passed our lips… But here, a little later than planned, is a short recap of our time in Madrid.
On June 7th construction began smoothly, but soon enough the team were impeded by weather of biblical proportions. The worst storms to hit Madrid in over 50 years, coupled with our plot being the lowest point along the Villa Solar site, lead to harsh flooding and the build being dragged about three days behind schedule – despite the valiant and frankly phenomenal efforts of all members of the construction team.
What followed were excruciatingly long shifts of soil-shovelling and decoration, whilst the plumbing and electrical systems of the H.O.U.S.E were put in around us – a task made more difficult by the fact the modules were slightly misaligned, since the crane had had to position them whilst on unstable ground.
However, by the time the Solar Decathlon event began in earnest, the whole ground floor was finished to exhibition standard. We welcomed all visitors for full tours in English, or in Spanish thanks to our own fluent team members and our glamorous assistants from the organisation itself. This of course was the most exciting time of the competition – being able to present the H.O.U.S.E, to express our ideas and ideals, and to welcome thousands of people per day into our four walls.
I’ve spoken of the hugely encouraging public reaction before, as well as the brilliant events we hosted at the H.O.U.S.E outside of visiting hours – but safe to say that the huge sense of pride we got from presenting the project still hasn’t faded. More disappointing, of course, was our performance in the competition – but again, I won’t drag that up now, and our success in the Sustainability award (arguably one of the most important) was vindication for our efforts.
As quickly as it started, however, the final brochures were being handed out and it was the last day of the Solar Decathlon event. The evening found us in the main hall, awards being presented for the last few categories of the competition and of course to the general winners – Teams Virginia, Bavaria and Stuttgart. Seconds later, that long-awaited sangria was in full flow, and weeks of hard work were rewarded with the Decathlete party to end all Decathlete parties!
Deconstruction started slowly the next day, but taking the H.O.U.S.E apart was always going to be easier than throwing it together. By all accounts, the modules left happily last Wednesday and the remaining team members enjoyed their last few days in Madrid – though even that couldn’t help but be interrupted by rain!
I’m sure we’ll have some guest writers tell their story soon, and eventually the fitting reflection that the project deserves before this chapter of it ends, but for now I hope you all feel a little more updated – I’ll go back to my lingering coursework!
Tom