Futuristic: Have You Seen Virginia Tech’s FutureHaus Yet?
It's available for public view until Aug. 16 at 2602 Main Line Blvd.
Alexandria, VA – Don’t you wish the living room could get just a little bigger? You can find moveable walls and all the latest high tech bells and whistles in Virginia Tech’s award-winning FutureHaus, which is on display in Potomac Yard until Aug. 16. The 900 square foot house at 2602 Main Line Blvd. won the 2018 Solar Decathlon Middle East, and is fully solar powered, and has 67 futuristic devices, including auto sliding doors, smart mirrors, and cabinets that adjust to different heights.
“In the future we are expecting our homes to be like our phones,” said Joseph Wheeler, a Virginia Tech architecture professor and lead faculty of the project. “When you look at all the features of a modern car, you have efficiency, safety, and luxury. This house is a prototype – this house is a concept home like a concept car. We are looking at how we will build in the future to benefit from off-site construction processes.”
The display, which can be assembled in three days, is sponsored by Dominion Energy, and is meant to commemorate Virginia Tech’s recent announcement that it will build its 15-acre Innovation Campus in Potomac Yard. The school has already sold one home for $450,000 – a 2,200 square-foot two level home with three bedrooms and two baths.
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“Ideally we’re looking for a way for the house to take care of itself autonomously,” Wheeler said. “The idea is that you can build your own house, like you build your own computer – you can choose what features you can afford – a base model that is very affordable.”
