OCSD Competition

OCSD 2023

Team University of California, Santa Cruz is participated in the 2023 Orange County Sustainability Decathlon (OCSD). OCSD is a worldwide, collegiate competition that invites university students and leaders to innovate a sustainable, market-ready home that addresses California's housing and climate change-related needs.

Our unique design, "EcoHus", encapsulates those needs and is built with sustainable materials, healthy utilization of natural resources, and is constructed within a greenhouse. EcoHus won first place in Innovation, Water Use and Energy Efficiency, second place in Market Potential, and 3rd place in Appliances & Lighting.

Instagram: ucsc_ocsd

Our OCSD Team

While our highly interdisciplinary team is small, every team member participates in not only on the design but in every aspect of the building. We did this through classes and build-weeks where we travel from Santa Cruz to Riverside to build the actual house. All of us living, eating, and working on the build site allows us to develop a strong community and focus all our attention on the house design and construction during those weeks.