Tianjin University Solar Decathlon Champion House | 2022

The R-CELLS House, created by the Tianjin University Team, is a prototype for a solar-powered residence that incorporates the characteristics of sustainable architecture. The name R-CELLS is derived from the features of sustainable building, while the term CELLS refers to the self-organizing, self-adaptive, self-circulating, and diverse replicating traits of biological cells. The aim of the R-CELLS House is to create a "healthy ecological residence for life" that is "positive energy, fully cyclic, and zero-emission".

The R-CELLS House uses an "optical energy storage flexible" energy structure to achieve the goal of a lifetime of healthy ecological living: achieving positive energy, full circulation, and zero emissions. In terms of sustainable building design concepts and methods, the R-CELLS House emphasizes the design principle of "passive priority, active optimization", using solar energy as the main source of electricity, supplemented by battery packs. The surplus electricity can be transmitted to the grid, achieving "zero energy consumption" for the building. The photovoltaic, wind turbine, and battery pack are all direct current input and output. The various systems in the residence are well-coordinated to improve the overall energy efficiency of the building, achieving a win-win effect for building comfort and environmental protection and promoting the sustainable development of architecture.

Dalian Quacent actively promotes cooperation between universities and enterprises and encourages college students to participate in green and energy-saving prefabricated construction practices. In this competition, they participated in and sponsored the structural materials of the "Tsinghua University", "Tianjin University", and "Dalian University of Technology" teams, which are three well-known domestic universities.

Dalian Quacent has been focusing on the research and development, manufacturing, and sales of green and energy-saving prefabricated housing. They are currently one of the few companies in China that fully master the North American SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels) building system and industrialized production. The SIPs building system combines structure and insulation into one, is lightweight and high-strength, has excellent insulation performance, and has a high prefabrication and assembly rate. The product is exported to more than 40 countries and regions around the world.

R-Cells, a lifetime health living by Team Tianjin U+ has won the 1st place in overall score and 9 single prizes of the 3rd The Solar Decathlon China(SD China) 2022 including 8 first place prizes and 1 second place prize.

The "R-cells" House is a zero-energy building for the entire life cycle, using an asymmetrical roof form that draws on the traditional Chinese architectural feature of "facing the sun" to increase south-facing heat and lighting. The roof area is also increased to maximize the use of solar energy in winter. As the main building material, the entire house uses Dalian Quacent's SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels) building system and glued laminated timber. The modular design makes assembly faster, and the characteristics of the SIPs system ensure excellent thermal insulation performance for the entire house.

Since 2013, Dalian Quacent has been supporting domestic universities to participate in solar competitions, witnessing the rapid development of the solar energy industry and the green building industry. Since 2021, Dalian Quacent has worked together with tile experts and solar energy professionals to create the "Top Energy" series of photovoltaic and building integrated tiles. The A-series product currently available is suitable for the roofs of residential buildings and has the following characteristics: the metal tile and photovoltaic perfectly blend together (BIPV), avoiding visual pollution; the ordinary tile and photovoltaic tile have the same size, and can be flexibly replaced; the installation is convenient and simple, and can be installed and used with simple training; the stacking installation avoids water leakage; the photovoltaic is embedded for safe and sturdy installation; the cost is low, and the cost can be controlled.