MBV is pleased to support BuildFit Pty Ltd, collaborating with the Monash Solar Decathlon Team (MSDT), representing Monash University at the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.  

The US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that has inspired thousands of students worldwide to enter the clean energy workforce since its inception in 2002.  

Today, the 10 contests that are the foundation of the 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 affordability, resilience, and energy efficiency.  

The winners are those teams that best blend architectural and engineering excellence with innovation.

MBV understands that MSDT will be entering the Build Challenge to build a net-zero residential building in Melbourne incorporating circular economy principles.    

To do this, students will test BuildFit’s innovative system for the built environment referred to as Circularity as a Service (CaaS).   

CaaS provides a system to track, trace, and verify the materials that flow through supply chains regardless of location or how complicated or how long the supply chain grows.  

It provides information on components, embodied energy, recyclability, compliance with slave labour laws, and end of life disposal.  

BuildFit will pre-qualify products and services proposed to be used in the MSDT project against a set of design and performance characteristics defined by the MSDT team and project brief.  

The goal is to prove the ability of the technology to advance circular economy principles through better product supply chain knowledge.  

In return, MBV members will get a real-world case study for industry and the community to demonstrate Victoria’s capability to deliver world best practice design and construction outcomes through innovation, technology and application.  

Outcomes of this demonstration will include circular economy principles, including reduced product non-compliance, improved efficiency, waste reduction, lowered risk, cost, and defects.  

This, in turn, provides greater levels of assurance in building quality and longevity for the industry.   

MBV is committed to delivering improved practices across the building and construction industry to promote a better-built environment for all Victorians.  

MBV continues to deliver industry-leading training and support in energy-efficient and sustainable construction via our Green Living program and our Sustainable Building Advisor since 2005.  

Our training programs are delivered through our RTO and linked to nationally accredited units of competency.  

The Master Builders Green Card program was a finalist in the 2016 Premier’s Sustainability Awards.  

We have developed unique insights into the most effective way of delivering energy-efficient and sustainable houses and buildings through our daily contact with builders working on the ground.      

Teams competing in the Solar Decathlon Build Challenge work for two years to design, build, and operate their houses in their region, with student work culminating in April 2023 with the Solar Decathlon Competition Event at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.