Photos of the Day — October 5, 2005

A contractor, in safety gear, installs metal railings for Maryland's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramp. The contractor, Maryland Fabricators Inc, donated equipment, materials, and labor. (Credit: Paul Norton, NREL)

Tom Meyers, the competition's code inspector, discusses inspections with the Decathlon's fire marshal, also his wife, Michelle. All of the houses in the competition must pass code inspections as well as produce a viable fire safety plan. (Credit: Richard King, Department of Energy)

Cornell students Alex Lovallo, Maki Uchida, and Marc Miller work to establish their team's ornamental and functional garden. The completely edible garden contains such varieties as broccoli, kale, artichokes, eggplant, basil, and rosemary, and will be the ingredients for team dinners throughout the competition. (Credit: Richard King, Department of Energy)

California Polytechnic's general contractor Richard Beller and team member Austin Quig install wood and safety wires and on their ADA-compliant ramp. (Credit: Stefano Paltera, Solar Decathlon)

University of Missouri architectural engineering student Nick Bristow paints trim on the team's house. The horizontal trim and horizontal banding throughout the house is meant to invoke the Prairie School of architecture. (Credit: Stefano Paltera, Solar Decathlon)

Young students from the Smithsonian Enrichment Center explore the activity of the solar village as they traverse the Mall. (Credit: Stefano Paltera, Solar Decathlon)

Universidad de Puerto Rico Business Administration major Keyla Torres works to add earth tones and the occasional sky blue accents to the home's exterior room. The team chose tropical colors in homage to their island home. (Credit: Stefano Paltera, Solar Decathlon)

The Canadian team's Adrian Amorer brings a delivery of plants in the school's electric vehicle. The vehicle is charged by the house. (Credit: Stefano Paltera, Solar Decathlon)

The village is starting to lose the feel of a construction site. Opening ceremonies take place Thursday morning and dignitaries and sponsors will be showing up for private tours. Students will spend the night on final touches and clean up. (Credit: Richard King, Department of Energy)