KOLD News 13 live, local and late breaking-UA architecture students build a solar house
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Imagine a home you could move around, with feather light construction, water-filled modules and an adjustable roof.
In addition to the solar panels, the other factors take full advantage of the sun's energy.
UA architecture and engineering students explain building materials and design are just as important to maximizing solar energy.
"What we've done is taken the panels themselves and incorporated them into the structure so that it provides a weather tight barrier, and it also collects energy at the same time," explains Edward Hall, architect of the 800 square foot home.
Hall adds the water modules in the wall help level off temperature extremes, keeping the house cooler during the day and warmer at night.
In addition, the adjustable roof helps maximize solar energy by allowing the panels to catch the sun's rays at the best angle possible.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, is asking for $1-million for the UA, so research, like the type being done by landscape architecture, can continue.
The aim is to make solar practical and affordable.
"We really have some opportunities to make southern Arizona the 'solar-con' valley of the world," says Giffords.
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