The Solar Decathlon, taking place Oct. 9-13 and Oct. 15-18 in Washington, D.C., joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house.
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A view outside the living room of "North House," designed by Team Ontario. The team's objective was to build a house appropriate for Canada's northern latitude climate. Here, team member Matt Peddie cleans up before inspection.
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Monocrystalline silicon wafers direct sunlight into the "Lumenhaus," designed by Virginia Tech's team. The facade of the house is seen here with the Washington Monument in the background.
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The central theme to Virginia Tech's "Lumenhaus," is light. It is the only U.S. team participating in both Solar Decathlon 2009 and Solar Decathlon Europe 2010.
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The University of Minnesota's team has created an iconic new look to their home by adjusting the roof line. The team has taken traditional design and modified it for solar energy collection.
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The view from above with the Smithsonian Castle in the background.
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The house built by the University of Arizona has a unique south water-wall system that is made of specially designed plastic tanks. These tanks regulate the heat in and around the house depending on the time of day. Gabby Sachnoff is seen installing these plastic tanks.
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Cornell University's "Silo House" consists of three cylindrical modules -- kitchen, living room and bedroom -- interconnected to form a single structure.
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Anna Goff in the curved kitchen at Cornell's "Silo House."
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The University of Illinois's "Gable Home," is constructed of years-old wood on the outside and structural bamboo on the inside. Bamboo is appealing because it grows much faster than trees and is resistant to thermal expansion.
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The outside of The Illinois University's "Gable Home" is made of barn wood that is well over 100 years old. Summer shade panels slide like barn doors in tracks along the south side of the house. The decking material was recycled from deconstruction of an old grain elevator.
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Architecture students survey the room at "North House" designed by The University of Waterloo in Ontario, B.C., Canada.
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Lush edible plants line the walkway to "North House" the design by The University of Waterloo in Ontario, B.C., Canada.
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Penn State student Valerie Boudreaux is reflected in the bathroom mirror next to a living wall of plants. The bathroom and the kitchen feature walls composed of wood slats that are populated with lush herbs that provide fresh seasoning for cooking and a pleasing visual element for residents.
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An overview of the houses looking from east to west. The winner of the Solar Decathlon 2009 will be announced on Oct. 16.
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The onset of fall and gusty winds last week kept things exciting as the teams built their solar homes on the Mall. The exhibition is open to the public from Oct. 9-13 and Oct.15-18.
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Tyler Jorgenson, a junior architecture student, cleans a window that is equipped with a thermally activated shading device at the University of Arizona's solar house.
Dayna Smith-for The Washington Post
Gallery Credits:
Producer, Photo Editor Stephen Cook
Text Editor Sakina Rangwala
