What sounded so fantastically farfetched a year ago as organizers finalized their plans is now a reality. The Solar Decathlon—where 14 interdisciplinary teams of college students have built 500-square-foot energy-efficient homes on the Capital Mall in Washington, D.C.—is off and running.

Each team of architecture, engineering, business, and journalism majors representing schools from Puerto Rico to Colorado has had the task of designing, financing, publicizing, and building a home that will produce enough electricity while the students live in it for a week to run the lights, airconditioning, a kitchen, a home office, and an electric car. Teams will use their electric cars to deliver groceries to a homeless shelter and to race around East Potomac Park a few miles away from the competition site.

Sited directly opposite the Air and Space Museum about halfway between the Capitol and the Washington Monument, the Solar Decathlon Village occupies one of the most heavily traversed areas in monumental Washington. The event promises to draw throngs of people, and sponsors are providing volunteers—including AIA members and staff—to guide tours, greet visitors, and monitor the competition. The AIA Media Relations team has contributed to the effort by interesting Parade magazine into writing a highlight (in its August 25, 2002, issue) and getting a promise of coverage from Good Morning America.

Cosponsors of the competition along with the AIA are the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, BP Solar, Home Depot, and Electronic Data Systems. AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Norman L. Koonce, FAIA, and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham were among the speakers at the competition opening September 26. The winner will be announced at noon October 5.

The competing schools and their themes are:
• Auburn University, A House Inspired by Our Forefathers
• Carnegie Mellon University, A Dose of Urban Reality
• Crowder College, Exchanging Ideas Energizes the Community
• Texas A&M University, A Melting Pot of Solar Ideas
• Tuskegee University, New Solar for the Old South
• University of Colorado at Boulder, Solar Energy in Just About Any House
• University of Delaware, Living with the Sun
• University of Maryland, The Home-Team Advantage
• University of Missouri—Rolla, Going Solar with Comfort and Style
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Marine Applications Come Ashore
• University of Puerto Rico, A Climate Challenge Takes to the Seas
• University of Texas at Austin, An RV Trailer Parked in a Living Room
• University of Virginia, It's Not Your Father's House
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, The Art of Integration.

Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.