ATLANTA, November 26, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered homes that are attractive, cost-effective, and energy efficient. This year’s demonstration, judging, and exhibition took place October 8–18, at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, CA, where an OxBlue time-lapse construction camera captured the action and Stevens Institute of Technology won top honors with its SU+RE House.
Inspired by the devastating effects of 2012’s superstorm Sandy, the SU+RE House blends sustainability (SU) and resilience (RE) and incorporates three basic principles: reduced energy load through smart design, energy self-sufficiency through renewable solar electric, and the ability to provide power to neighbors during electrical outages. Stevens took 4th place in the 2013 competition.
“The entries are remarkable examples of creative problem solving, going way beyond an alternative energy solution,” commented OxBlue CEO Chandler McCormack. “It’s really exciting to see where up-and-coming architects, engineers, and designers will be taking the construction industry.”
OxBlue time-lapse construction cameras are used throughout the construction industry to bring new efficiencies to building, project management, communication, and marketing. The construction webcam service provider donated a PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) construction camera to document this year’s Solar Decathlon. Public access to the construction camera interface was made available on the Solar Decathlon website, enabling anyone to view the event in real time and to see high-resolution panoramic images and high-definition time-lapse movies.
Cellular technology built into every construction camera allows job site images to be transmitted to a secure server. OxBlue clients access the images from computers and mobile devices so they can monitor the work at job sites and track project progress from any location.
“Construction cameras are becoming regular fixtures on more and more projects. As the face of construction changes – with new technologies, new designs, and materials, even new codes – the ability for remote teams to collaborate and monitor and track the build will be more important than ever. We’ll continue to develop the technologies that help them do that.” –Chandler McCormack, OxBlue CEO
OxBlue construction camera systems come complete with hardware, software, cellular data connection, and three kinds of time-lapse capabilities. To learn more about OxBlue cameras and time-lapse videos, please call (888) 849-2583.
To learn more about the Solar Decathlon, visit www.solardecathlon.gov.
