The Solar Decathlon is an educational project of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Architecture

(100 points)

For the Architecture contest, teams competing in the Solar Decathlon are required to integrate solar and energy efficiency technologies seamlessly into their home designs.

To judge this contest, a jury of professional architects assesses team construction documents and tours the homes. They evaluate three main factors:

Architectural elements—The house's strength and suitability, the appropriateness of building materials, the scale and proportion of room and facade features, indoor/outdoor connections, composition, and connection of various home elements
Holistic design—Ease of entry into the house and circulation among the public and private zones; architectural strategy used to accommodate the technologies required to run the house; and generosity and sufficiency of space in the house
Inspiration—Design surprises, such as unusual use of ordinary materials or use of extraordinary materials, to delight Solar Decathlon visitors.

Printable Version

Photo of the home built by Lawrence Technological University, which has metal spikes that appear to be jutting out of the roof and point toward a blue sky.

Each team incorporates interesting architectural features into their homes at the 2007 Solar Decathlon, such as the metal spikes featured in Lawrence Technological University's home shown here.