SUM tackles the alarming state of Dutch post-war neighbourhoods by creating a solution for tenement flats across the Netherlands and beyond. In the Netherlands, there are 847,00 tenement flats, which represent 11% of the total housing stock. Tackling this type of building creates the opportunity to contribute to Dutch nationwide goals of being energy-neutral in 2050 and adding one million homes by 2030.

With our tenement flat repurposing strategy we would like to make a world where diversity, innovation and social interaction are stimulated. Where clever design solutions can tackle social, economic and environmental challenges. SUM creates a symbiotic breeding ground that leads to affordable, living communities, and a sustainable environment.

Initiated in 2002 by the United States Department of Energy, the Solar Decathlon (SD) is a university-level student competition for resource-responsible and energy-efficient architecture and engineering in the building sector. The competition challenges universities from all over the world to design, build and operate a solar-powered and energetically self-sufficient home equipped with advanced technologies, and designed to the highest standards of sustainability.