Strong effort by Mid Sweden University's team in the construction house competition Ice Box Challenge
Mid Sweden University's student team impressed in several categories and was praised for their commitment - even though the victory went to Luleå University of Technology.
The Ice Box Challenge ended on June 6 and Mid Sweden University's student team made a strong contribution to this year's construction competition, where an international jury judged the entries in categories such as design, choice of materials, ice melting and collaboration. The competition is about building as sustainable and energy-efficient a house as possible, a house that can keep a cubic meter of ice frozen for as long as possible. Mid Sweden University had the best result in the main event – the melting of the ice – but unfortunately it was not enough all the way to victory.
However, the team was awarded an honorary award in the category "Distinction in craft and commitment", for their commitment, detail work and time effort.
"We are very proud of what we have achieved, especially considering how few of us were involved in the project. It was an intense spring where we built two houses in parallel with our regular studies," says Jakob Wallinder, who is studying the last semester of the Construction Engineering Programme in Östersund.
Jakob participated in Mid Sweden University's team together with Martina Fredin, Alice Kula and Tess Torndal.
"Incredibly developing"
The winner was the Master of Science in Engineering students from Luleå University of Technology, who impressed with clear vision, strong design and professional marketing. Mid Sweden University's team participated with fewer participants and more limited support – which makes the effort even more impressive.
"We have learned that planning is all well and good, but reality requires constant problem solving. It has been incredibly developing," says Jakob Wallinder.
In addition to practical experience, the group also brings new knowledge about sustainable construction.
"It became very clear that the passive house we built was significantly more energy efficient than the standard house, something we saw in the results of the competition. This has given us both concrete insights and a stronger sense of what sustainability in the construction industry really means.
Read more about Mid Sweden University's participation in the Ice Box Challenge