About us
Monash Sustainable Buildings (MSB) is a multidisciplinary student-run team from Monash University, with the goal of developing unique and practical net-zero building designs. Our designs, submitted annually to the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon Challenge, serve to provide innovative solutions to the ongoing energy crisis, inspiring our vision of a green future.
Our mission:
To create practical net-zero designs that give back to the environment and the community, raising awareness of the importance of sustainable design in mitigating the future effects of climate change.
Net-Zero all the way
‘Net-Zero’ is a holistic design approach which denotes that the amount of energy used by a building should be the same or less than that which it produces. Net-zero may be achieved through a variety of sustainable design practices, including onsite renewable energy generation, integrating passive design principles and improved energy usage habits.
Our Goals
1. Design and build innovative and creative net-zero buildings
We pride ourselves on our commitment to engineering excellence and innovation, striving to develop new and inspiring solutions to complex problems faced by our community. While our designs are net-zero we ensure they are also practical and useful.
2. Educate and drive net-zero design to be more widespread
In the face of today’s global climate crisis, we seek to use our platform to stimulate active and insightful discussion around the topic of net-zero, raising awareness of its benefits for everyone.
3. Nurture a collaborative team environment
At MSB, we understand that true innovation is born from collaboration. We actively recruit a diverse team from a range of disciplines and promote a collaborative spirit, drawing on our range of expertise to pave the way towards our common goal.
Achievements
First Place
Suburban Single Family Home Division (SSF) - 2019-2020 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge
Second Place
New Housing Division (NH) - 2022-2023 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge
Third Place
Attached Housing Division (AH) - 2020-2021 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge
Finalist
Single Family Housing Division (SFH) - 2023-2024 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge
Office Building Division (OB) - 2022-2023 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge
Elementary School Division (ES) - 2020-2021 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge
Urban Single Family Home Division (USF) - 2020-2021 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge
Attached Housing Division (AH) - 2019-2020 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge
Mixed-Use Multifamily Division (MM) - 2019-2020 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge
