Hello, my name is Laura, I’m the Communications Manager for the project. Over the last fortnight our team has been busy giving our sponsors, industry professionals, family, friends, the community of the Illawarra and some distinguished guests a first look at our near completed Desert Rose House.
From the 17th to the 23rd of July we hosted the Desert Rose Reveal – a week long series of events including an industry breakfast, sponsors appreciation evening, UOW alumni tours, a huge festival celebrating all things sustainability, plus an open house day. We were lucky enough to have beautiful sunny weather the whole week, and with over 1350 people in attendance, they were the biggest and best events that our team has organised to date!
On the 26th of July, the Desert Rose House was officially unveiled on the Innovation Campus. The Premier of NSW the Honourable John Barilaro MP, UOW Vice Chancellor Paul Wellings and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research Judy Raper cut the ribbon tied across the front door. We were lucky enough to showcase our beautiful and near finished house to many other special guests on the night. We heard some wise and inspiring words from Chancellor Wellings and our Project Manager Clayton. The team gathered for a photo near the back deck, and with the sun setting over Mount Keira in the background, our Desert Rose looked spectacular.
It’s still quite surreal to be able to walk into the master bedroom and open the windows, or open the kitchen door and walk out onto the back deck, and even seeing the light that floods in of a morning through the clearstory windows into the dining room, it’s amazing! Safe to say we are all so proud of making it to this stage of the project, and after putting in a mammoth effort, we’ve enjoyed touring people through the house.
As we near the end of the Construction Phase, we look ahead to the Tuning and Calibration Phase, where we will test our building services and make any necessary adjustments so we can achieve maximum performance, all ahead of travelling to Dubai for the competition in November!
