Newsletter
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023The October/November Issue of our newsletter is sponsored by:
teamMADE Places 2nd Overall in Orange County Sustainability Decathlon
The decathlon has drawn to a close, marking the culmination of nearly two years of dedicated work on the luminOCity project. In a resounding triumph, teamMADE secured a notable 2nd place overall, surpassing 13 other teams, while also placing top-three positions in nine additional categories. With second, sustainability comes first, where luminOCity stands as a testament to our team’s unwavering dedication to environmentally conscious innovation.
A special thank you to all UCI and OCC professors, advisors, students, staff, our partners and sponsors, and of course, the Orange County Sustainable Decathlon for giving us the opportunity to be apart of such a challenging, rewarding, ethical, and innovative project like this. Go teamMADE! Click here for photos
Bringing Home the Trophies
by Matthew Ramon
Our team turned green dreams into a silver reality placing 2nd overall in the decathlon, and a notable top three placement across nine other juried categories. Placing in sustainability, architecture, engineering, and more, read here to delve into the innovative solutions that teamMADE underwent to achieve these placements and propelled us to second place overall! Congrats team! Read more
From Campus to Community: luminOCity’s Journey
by Jennifer Wilkens
Disassembled into four modular sections, each weighing multiple thousands of pounds, the “luminOCity” house underwent a meticulously orchestrated transportation process. Discover the intricacies of its journey, from its initial move from the Orange Coast College campus to the OC Fairgrounds for its showcasing at the decathlon, to its recent transportation to a staging area adjacent to its final location for HIS-OC in Placentia, CA. The upcoming phase of its transportation journey will see the innovative home reaching its designated site in Placentia, CA. Learn more
luminOCity Timeline
by Georgie Ampudia
Missed out on what happened on teamMADE’s moving day? Want to catch up on our “luminOCity” build process up until it’s completion during decathlon week? Read here for a chronological teamMADE timeline of what happened from when we transported the team home to the OC Fairgrounds to it’s disassembly and transportation to Placentia. Read more
We need YOU to Complete the Build!
teamMADE’s luminOCity house is so close to finally come home! The modules are currently “parked” in a lot adjacent to the property of Homeless Intervention Services-OC in Placentia, CA, eagerly awaiting completion of site preparation and final assembly in the designated backyard.
In order to reach the overarching goal in teamMADE’s pursuit to create a sustainable, resilient and functional ADU while lifting people out of homelessness, one final step is necessary. Additional funds are needed to build the foundation for the luminOCity house, prepare the connection to utilities, and the final ‘lift’ into HIS-OC’s backyard.
You can be part of this journey!
Go to HIS-OC’s website to learn more about HIS-OC’s Transitional Age Youth Shelter and to donate. Please add “ADU” in the comments.
HIS-OC in need of cash donations and pro bono work.
The Transitional Age Youth Shelter is a program designed to lift young men, 18-24 years old out of homelessness and help them overcome trauma from incarceration, aging out of foster care, and substance abuse.
Check out the OC Sustainability Decathlon
Contact
Jennifer Wilkens, UCI
jwilkens@uci.edu
Mark Walter, UCI
m.walter@uci.edu