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October 24, 2007
The Next Wave of Green Architects and Engineers
I had the opportunity to work with one of the teams for the 2007 Solar Decathlon competition that recently took place in Washington, D.C. Twenty teams of students from colleges and universities across the United States and several other countries pit their engineering, architectural, and communication skills against each other to build energy efficient, attractive, solar-based houses.
The process is really no different than what every architect, engineer, and builder does on a daily basis. It's a challenge to balance the design and construction of a house with regard to its systems engineering, architecture, and the occupants' desires to optimize its performance, comfort, cost, and marketability.
The efficiency and solar-energy collection are especially important now, with the strong national focus on energy and the environment. This experience is invaluable for these up-and-coming architects and engineers. Take a few minutes and make the jump to the Solar Decathlon website website to check out the houses and teams.
I was able to spend some time with several teams during the setup process in Washington. Though understandably frantic at times, the energy was overall very excited, passionate, teamwork-oriented, and dedicated. It was beautiful to experience. I'm looking forward to seeing what these students make happen in the world after they graduate.
Posted by Eric Helton at October 24, 2007 11:29 AM
