Construction of the solar village on the National Mall’s West Potomac Park continued today, as student teams worked throughout the day and night to assemble their competition houses for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011.

While always a top priority at the Solar Decathlon, safety is particularly important during this seven-day construction phase. At today’s daily team meeting, Lee Ann Underwood, Solar Decathlon safety officer, praised the following teams for their excellent safety practices:

• New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington)
• Tidewater Virginia (Old Dominion University and Hampton University)
• Canada (University of Calgary)
• Parsons NS Stevens (Parsons The New School for Design and Stevens Institute of Technology)
• The University of Tennessee.

As of this meeting, 12 of the 19 team houses had passed their foundation inspections, with the University of Tennessee and Team China (Tongji University) leading in the number of building inspections passed.

Unfortunately, only part of Team Massachusetts’ house has arrived. The team members expect the rest of the house to arrive tomorrow.

A member of Team Massachusetts demonstrates good humor while standing in the empty lot where her team house will be assembled. (Credit: Carol Anna/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

The truck carrying the foundation footings for Florida International University finally arrived, and the team was busy today setting the foundations.

Michele Markovits, project engineer for Florida International, couldn’t say enough good things about neighboring teams, whose generosity included Parsons NS Stevens, who helped by buying gas for their generator; Tennessee, who helped charge a battery and accepted safety glasses in return; and Appalachian State, whose loan of surveying equipment helped the team set its foundation footings.

Michele Markovits, project engineer for Florida International University, and other team members work on the foundation footings for their house. (Credit: Carol Anna/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

“Our fellow teams have been so generous, They’ve shown truly great sportsmanship,” Michelle said. “It’s important to all of us that we make it to the finish line.”

Carol Anna is the communications manager of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

Editor’s Note: This entry has been cross-posted from DOE’s Energy Blog.

In honor of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon—which challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive—we are profiling each of the teams participating in the competition.

It’s a tale of two universities with a vision for one historic city. Students from both Hampton and Old Dominion universities have joined forces to compete in the upcoming U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon with their entry, called Unit 6 Unplugged.  As Tidewater Virginia, the students will unveil their vision for the future —an energy-efficient house that captures the “Arts and Crafts” design style of homes dotted throughout historic Norfolk, Virginia.

One of the team’s key design features is the transitional sunspace. During the warmer months, the sunspace acts as an exterior porch—motorized windows open up to let air and sunlight filter in. During colder months, the sunspace transitions into an enclosed space that functions as a heat sink—the floor absorbs heat and disperses it throughout the house overnight.

As with other Solar Decathlon entries, the house incorporates renewable energy.  A photovoltaic array is integrated into the sloped roof—and with an efficiency of more than 18%, the panels act as the main power source. In addition, light switches powered by remote transmitters can be placed anywhere in the house and never require replacement batteries. A separate mechanical core stores the house’s mechanical system in one centralized place, keeping waste heat and noise outside the main living quarters and allowing easy maintenance access.

Post-competition, Unit 6 Unplugged will return to Norfolk, where it will serve as a design studio shared by architecture and engineering students from both schools. This will continue the interdisciplinary collaboration fostered by Solar Decathlon 2011.

Erin Pierce is an energy technology program specialist at the Department of Energy.