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Sponsors

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The GRoW Buffalo team relies on the generous donations from industry and community partners to make this project a success. Together our sponsors support this interdisciplinary project and enhance the educational experience for students through in-kind donations, services, and philanthropy. We would like to thank them with our sincere gratitude for helping us create the best solar-powered home.  Together our sponsors represent the best that Buffalo and the Western New York Region have to offer in sustainable living and solar energy.  Thank you!

Team

Group-Photo_for-Website

The GRoW Buffalo team includes active students from 4 different schools at UB (The School of Architecture & Planning, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Management, and Arts and Sciences). Over 200 students and faculty have contributed to the project in the past 2 years. Students at every academic level, from freshmen to PhD students, are involved in this interdisciplinary collaborative process.

GRoW Home is a challenge that reinforces UB’s reputation of being a prestigious research and multi-faceted institution. Students and faculty of different teams and specializations are collaborating to highlight the strengths of every approach to the project. The GRoW Home contributes greatly to UB’s effort towards becoming a leader in sustainability education and practices, including the Solar Strand and Sustainability Academy.

Contact

Have some questions? Want to learn more about the project/ get involved?
Send our team a message and we will try and answer your questions as best we can!

Address
University at Buffalo, South Campus
Hayes Annex B
Buffalo, NY 14215

General Contact
Email: zhitingp@buffalo.edu
Phone: 716-829-5885

For Inquiries on Sponsorship or Donation
Email: ap-ubsd2015@buffalo.edu
Phone: 716-829-5885

For more Specific Inquiries
Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Martha Bohm
Project Manager: Chris Osterhoudt
Sponsorship Manager: Nate Heckman
Public Relations Manager: Amanda Mumford

Donate

Graphic map of donations earned

We invite you to consider supporting the GRoW Home — a unique initiative that will promote research, education, and awareness of environmentally sustainable design, while generating significant international exposure. Click here to show your support today! We are looking for:

  • Material Donation: From furniture to plumbing, we appreciate any kind of material donation that complements the GRoW Home.
  • Monetary Support: From transportation costs to purchasing our own materials, any amount of donation contributes significantly to the project.GRoW Team members working at construction site
  • Professional Mentoring: By donating your time and knowledge as a professional, you provide students with invaluable learning experiences. We are eager to learn in many different areas such as cost-estimation and construction.

If you are an individual and would like to support us today, click here!

If you represent a company or organization, email us today at ap-ubsd2015@buffalo.edu.

Led by the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Architecture and GRoW Home members at a meeting in Howe Hall, UBPlanning in collaboration with the university’s Schools of Engineering and Management and the College of Arts and Sciences, a team of UB students and professors has been selected to compete in an elite international event — the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015.

The Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered, highly energy-efficient houses. Since 2002, six solar decathlons have taken place in the US, involving 29,000 students from 33 countries and attracting tens of thousands of visitors at each event.A GRoW Home member interacting with members of the public at Fall Festival at Reinstein Woods

The competition spans a two-year process, and is highly selective.

UB’s team will have the opportunity to design and build a solar-powered house and have its performance judged against 16 other teams! Find out more about the competition here.

The competition supports Collaborative Learning and Innovation.

The GRoW Home project provides students with irreplaceable learning experiences. Solar Decathlon director Richard King notes that this Jenna Bow teaching kids and an adult how to fold paper cups.competition can be “life-changing” for participating students, developing “leadership, team spirit, and problem-solving skills that help decathletes excel once they enter the workforce.”

This project creates a Community Impact.

The GRoW Home will be built in Western New York, shipped to California for judging, and then returned to Buffalo for installation in the community. Ultimately, organizers hope the GRoW Home will become a valuable resource, and will be open for tours that educate and inspire school children and the public about the benefits of sustainable, low-energy design.Congressman Chris Collins (U.S. House of Representatives, NY 27th District) and Omar Khan (Architecture Department Chair) at a fundraising salon at the warehouse

This project opens up Partnership Opportunities. 

This effort provides a timely opportunity to forge new connections, as contributors assist students by providing resources and expertise. The U.S. Department of Energy is supplying seed funding, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry is collaborating on the design of the house’s site. Materials and mentorship are being provided by a variety of corporate donors, with support pledged thus far by LPCiminelli, Montante Solar, and Watts Architecture & Engineering.

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  • It is all about the UB Pride!

    If you haven’t heard, we were placed 2nd overall! Kudos to EVERY single person who made this possible! And we mean, EVERY SINGLE PERSON. Thank you so much !