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8th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion; 1190-1197, Traditional photovoltaic applications dominate the PV market in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with only a few examples of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV). However, the UAE movement toward more sustainable development is bringing interest to innovative and better integrated renewable energy solutions for buildings. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority organised the Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) to raise social awareness of sustainability and clean energy technologies. This competition challenges students to design, build, and test sustainable Zero Energy Houses, evaluated by juries through its ten contests. Furthermore, the SDME BIPV special award recognises outstanding Building Integrated Photovoltaics systems. The present study summarises main findings of the jury by SUPSI, focusing on the top four BIPV projects and including the analysis of the architectural integration, societal messages, local culture relevance, multifunctionality, and energy production. more...