We have our time-lapse camera installed, so check out the views from about 40 feet above the solar village. The camera will be there throughout the entire event so everyone can keep an eye on all the happenings.

Down at ground level, you can feel the action. There are about 600 of us working with purpose:  Let’s get the competition site ready for opening day next week. You don’t see anyone sitting around unless they are eating lunch or catching a nap so they can work another few hours. The level of energy is intense, and all the activity fills your senses with excitement.

The truck carrying Team Florida’s house reached Washington, D.C., and is scheduled to unload tonight. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they are now three days behind. The team members are ready to go and undaunted. We have had teams arrive three days late in previous competitions, and they still did well. We are all pulling for you, Team Florida.

A section of Team New Jersey’s concrete house gets a lift from a 100-ton crane. (Credit: Richard King/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

One of the most amazing assemblies is up at the Team New Jersey lot. A 100-ton crane is lifting huge sections of its low-cost concrete house in place. The design is stunning—and heavy! It makes the ideal seashore house a cool place to live with no worries when a hurricane comes ashore. Check out the Team New Jersey website if you want to know more. I’m sure we will be talking more about this house and team before the competition is over.

Autumn is in the air. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 50s and 60s. After the hot, humid working conditions we experienced the past two days, the fresh, cool air will be a welcome relief. Great building weather!

Richard King is director of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

Since the first trucks rolled onto the National Mall’s West Potomac Park late last night, the site of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 has become alive with activity. Surrounded by trucks and cranes, decathletes in full construction safety gear have wasted no time beginning assembly of their houses.

“The student teams are really pumped up. I’ve never seen teams so excited,” said Richard King, Solar Decathlon director.

Last week’s torrential rains made accessing the site difficult for many of the big rigs carrying houses. But the site is now drying out, and managing the flow of vehicles has become much easier.

But for three teams, the challenge to deliver their houses is not over yet.

Team Florida (The University of South Florida, Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Florida) experienced delays with its FleX House being held up at the North Carolina border.

As of early afternoon, Florida International University still waited for the truck that carried its foundation footings (the first step in its construction process) to arrive, which held up several of the team’s other trucks.

Team Massachusetts (Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell) has been the hardest hit. Having experienced delays of its trucks along the road, this is the only team not yet onsite.

Florida International University team members relax in the shade while waiting for their foundation footings to arrive. (Credit: Carol Anna/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Tom Meyers, Solar Decathlon building official, shared good news at the daily team meeting: Seven teams have passed their foundation inspections—with Purdue University being the first.

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

In honor of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon—which challenges 20 collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive—we are profiling each of the 20 teams participating in the competition.

Team Florida's design model of the FLeX House (Credit: All Commercial Photography/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

It only seems natural that the Sunshine State would combine the power of universities from across the state to bring its solar-powered, energy-efficient house to the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon on the National Mall this fall.

Unlike most teams in the competition—which are composed of participants from one or, less often, two or three schools—Team Florida is made up of members from four Sunshine State universities: the University of South Florida, Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Florida. The team was conceived in the belief that the building industry cannot function effectively without close collaboration among groups of professionals representing different fields of expertise. With this in mind, Team Florida says it is utilizing the brainpower of eight departments of the respective schools—and all of this collaborative expertise is giving Team Florida a unique perspective on its design. 

Many of the entries to the competition address unique challenges related to regional climate or locations that do not receive much sun. Team Florida’s FLeX House, on the other hand, was designed specifically for hot, humid climates and sunny places such as those comparable to central Florida. But that doesn’t make its job any easier.

Building a house adapted to Florida’s hot, humid climate is a challenge. Team Florida’s goal is to utilize design approaches that demonstrate the best balance of efficiency, sustainability, and economics. The FLeX House is meant to illustrate Team Florida’s philosophy that “sustainable design practices are inherently good design practices.”

As for the architectural arrangement of the house, the team says it designed it to be as flexible as possible (hence, the name FleX House). This flexibility allows the house to take on different configurations by using movable components that expand or contract the living spaces—which is supported by the continuity of the flooring, ceiling, and interior wall materials. 

In addition to their cross-university teamwork, members of Team Florida are working with industry partners to design an affordable building envelope that meets ultra-efficient energy use building criteria. The team says that the house’s “envelope” (the windows, walls, roofs, and foundations) was designed to work equally well throughout the year by “combining an optimum level of insulation for temperature extremes, resistance to air infiltration, transparency for daylight, and flexibility”—a common challenge to homebuilders in central Florida.

After the competition, the FLeX House will become the  Zero Energy House Learning Center to raise awareness, demonstrate building science principles, highlight sustainable construction strategies, utilize Florida-friendly landscaping, and illustrate Florida WaterStar practices associated with “climatically responsive” homes.

To follow the team’s progress on FLeX House, visit its blog and official Facebook page or follow it on Twitter at @FLeX_House.

April Saylor is an online content producer and contractor to the Department of Energy Office of Public Affairs.