TeamMTL: A joint team from McGill University and Concordia University heads to China for the sustainable home construction competition

After months of preparation, the members of TeamMTL will depart for Dezhou, China, on July 3, 2018, to participate in the Solar Decathlon 2018 competition, which brings together 21 teams from 11 countries and 43 universities. From July 11–29, the teams will build their sustainable homes, which will be judged based on 10 criteria from August 2–17. The winner will be announced on August 17.

Hydro-Québec is proud to support TeamMTL’s cutting-edge project, and its participation was highlighted today at a press conference at the Centre for Sustainable Development, in the company of students, along with Geneviève Fournier, Vice President – Customers at Hydro-Québec Distribution, Jean Séguin, Assistant Deputy Minister of MESI (Québec ministry of economy, science and innovation), Christophe Guy, Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies, Concordia University, and James Nicell, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at McGill University.

“Our committed involvement to developing homes of the future, which are intelligent and adapted to a new market—already experiencing a major revolution—is already bearing fruit. This is a unique opportunity to be on the front lines, to anticipate our clients’ needs and to be ready for what’s coming next,” said Geneviève Fournier.

For James Nicell, “the Solar Decathlon encompasses a broad range of important issues: affordable housing, environmental and cultural sustainability, Chinese and Canadian cooperation, the future of Quebec’s energy and export industries—there are multiple issues at stake and they are each crucial ones. But what interests me most is the impact this project is having on the students themselves. Complex, long-term competitions such as the Solar Decathlon are really once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that are demanding and involved, and that require a whole range of skill development—some of which can be foreseen, some of which is spontaneous—which simply cannot be replicated in a classroom environment.”

Christophe Guy had this to say: “The Solar Decathlon project underscores Concordia’s commitment to experiment boldly across disciplines in both research and training, get our hands dirty though practical learning experiences, and embrace the world through collaborations between institutions and sectors, and across knowledge boundaries. Partnering up to imagine a smart, sustainable urban future for our cities aligns perfectly with the pride we take in being an open, next generation university, deeply embedded in Montréal and highly engaged with its communities.”

“MESI is proud to have contributed $50,000 to this innovative, cutting edge project. I applaud the creativity of the McGill and Concordia students and would also like to mention the valued support of the entrepreneurs and mentors who shared their know-how to help create a future focused on new technologies and sustainability,” said Dominique Anglade, Deputy Premier, Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation and Minister responsible for the Digital Strategy.

TeamMTL is a joint project of McGill University and Concordia University. A student-led team, the group is composed of roughly 40 members from both institutions. Their entry, known as the Deep?Performance Dwelling (DPD), combines Montréal row-house design with elements of traditional Chinese siheyuan courtyard architecture.

About Hydro-Québec

Hydro-Québec generates, transmits and distributes electricity. Its sole shareholder is the Québec government. While using mainly hydroelectric generation, it supports the development of other technologies—such as wind energy and biomass—through purchases from independent power producers. It also conducts R&D in energy-related fields, including energy efficiency. The company has four divisions: Hydro-Québec Production, Hydro-Québec Transénergie, Hydro-Québec Distribution and Hydro-Québec Innovation, équipement et services partagés. For more information, visit our website and follow us on Twitter (@HydroQuébec).

About MESI

The Ministry’s mission is to support business growth, entrepreneurship, science, innovation, export trade and investment. The MESI also advises the Government with a view to favoring economic development in every region of Québec, in a perspective of job creation, economic prosperity and sustainable development. Visit the Ministry’s website for more information.

About TeamMTL

TeamMTL is a collaboration between McGill University and Concordia University comprised of faculty and students from several different and diverse departments including architecture, design and computation arts, engineering, business, management, dance and theatre. The design, construction, and operation of the Deep-Performance Dwelling is an active partnership with inter-disciplinary and cross-institutional teams working side-by-side in an integrative design process. This dynamic collaboration capitalizes on the expertise, strengths, and resources of two preeminent Québec universities. The student team is comprised of undergraduate and graduate students at all stages in their career from a wide array of disciplines.

For more information about the project, visit its website Home | TeamMTL | Solar Decathlon China 2018

For information:

For Hydro-Québec:
Serge Tsoto
Press Officer
Public Affairs and Media
Tel.: 514 289-7799

For TeamMTL:
Sophie Jemtrud
Communications Lead
Tel.: 514 895-4244

For Direction des communications
Ministère de l’Économie, de la Science
et de l’Innovation
Jean-Pierre D’Auteuil
Media Relations Coordinator
Tel.: 418 691-5698, ext. 4868
Cell: 418 559-0710