INESC TEC participates in ‘Moving Houses’ project

INESC TEC's Manufacturing Systems Engineering Unit (UESP) recently started the Moving Houses project, together with the CEM company. The Unit will be responsible for designing and developing the project’s movement automation system.

This work originated in 2008 as part of the LIDERA project, led by the University of Porto (U.Porto) after Manuel Vieira Lopes (from the University of Porto’s Faculty of Architecture) presented a new concept of sustainability features which can be combined in a “sunflower house”.

The “sunflower house” is a mobile house that interacts with the environment and reacts to light changes. This house can revolutionise architecture as it has a mobile component that moves and follows the sun, functioning like a sunflower. Because that moving part is covered with photovoltaic panels, the house can improve energy and thermal usage.

The project was also selected among applications from universities from all over the world to be presented at the Solar Decathlon Europe 2012, an event that will take place this year in Madrid.

UESP’s team working on this project includes Luís Guardão, Fernando Guedes and Paulo Sá Marques.

Photo: Notícias U.Porto