EFdeN team launches a fundraising total of EUR 300.000, targeting all companies, institutions and individuals who want to support the team in order to be able to represent Romania at the international competition of sustainable houses, architecture and integrated technologies, Solar Decathlon Europe. The competition takes place this year in Wuppertal, Germany, between May 20 and July 3, 2022, and EFdeN team is the only participating team in Romania. Donations can be made on the association’s website and will cover the transport of the EFdeN VATRA prototype to Germany and the logistical needs of the competition.

The EFdeN team of 44 students participate this year in the global competition with the EFdeN VATRA prototype, a new sustainable housing model that facilitates the formation of communities, inspired by the Romanian hearth itself. The project responds to the theme of the urban regeneration competition and proposes 3 modules of living units, adapted to the modern lifestyle, and a greenhouse module. They can be arranged around common spaces and prefabricated to respond to any urban context. EFdeN VATRA integrates environmentally friendly materials, new technologies — from renewable energy to smart home control automation — and circular economy solutions to reduce the environmental footprint of your home as much as possible.

How can you help EFdeN to represent Romania in the largest competition of solar houses and integrated technologies?

In order to reach the competition, the team has to travel 2,000 kilometers at a cost of 150 euros per kilometer, which brings them closer to the final destination: Solar Decathlon Europe.

In total, the team will be gone for 43 days, during which time students will go through several phases and tests of the competition:

• 15-day house assembly phase
• a 7-day monitoring period
• a period of presentations to the general public, jury and specialists of 14 days where 200,000 visitors are expected
• disassembly in 7 days

The campaign was launched at a press conference organised at the URBAN INCERC Institute, where the first stage of the competition was held: build the EFdeN VATRA prototype to be tested before arriving in Germany.

EFdeN

A group of students from Bucharest, Romania, imagined a world with sustainable communities where people live a high-quality life. They thought sustainability was for everyone. This is how the EFdeN story began.

The name EFdeN comes from f[N] — where N is Nature. Nature is at the center of everything the team does. EFdeN is an educational NGO that helps students and young professionals to find a professional direction through a practical learning process complementary to the university. Starting from its participation in Solar Decathlon, EFdeN is involved in everything related to sustainability in Romania, from legislation and policymaking to education and city development.

In short

• 10+ projects implemented with over 1000 volunteers
• 50+ prizes
• More than 300 partner companies involved

Solar Decathlon

In a world facing climate change, Solar Decathlon is a collegial competition that has inspired thousands of students from around the world to enter the renewable energy workforce since its launch in 2002. Today, the 10 competitions underpinning Solar Decathlon challenge students to design and build high-performance, low-carbon buildings that mitigate climate change and improve our quality of life through greater accessibility, resilience and energy efficiency. The winners are those teams that best combine architecture, engineering and innovation with sustainability.

Supporters

• We chose to support this generous project with young people who want to develop in this very important direction that is sustainability — Mihai Boldijar, General Manager Bosch Romania
• We support them because they are very innovative and inventive — Ghiocel Popescu, Regional Director Foerch Romania
• I would like to describe the concept of the house in three words: innovation, sustainability and creativity […] The project responds to 2 major problems, energy transition and digital transformation — Gabriela Tudorache, HR & Communication Director TIAB