New Zealand solar decathletes place second in architecture competition
Amanda Crosby, right, and Belinda Dods of New Zealand celebrate placing the final screw on the deck of their house at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011.
After a stormy day, New Zealand shines brightly at night on Friday, Sept. 23, 2011 at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon at West Potomac Park in Washington D.C., Sept. 23, 2011.
New Zealand’s representative Nick Officer, front, greets media at Media Preview Day at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011.
The Hon. Bill English, left, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of New Zealand spoke with collegiate participants, from left to right, Ben Jagersma, Eli Nuttall, Anna Farrow, Lizzie Earl and Nick Officer while he toured New Zealand’s entry in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 in Washington, D.C., Friday, Sept. 23, 2011.
Ben Jagersma, measured contest captain for New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington), addresses the Solar Decathlon 2011 teams gathered at the All-Team Meeting on Sept. 13, 2011.
Interior architectural photograph of New Zealand’s entry in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011, Washington D.C., Sept. 23, 2011.
'First Light', Victoria University's Solar Decathlon team, takes second place Washington DC-based architecture competition.
First Light, a team of architecture students from Victoria University, has placed second for architecture at the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. First place went to the University of Maryland, and its entry “Watershed” and third place went to Appalachian State University and its Solar Homestead. The Solar Decathlon is a competition that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The competition winner is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. Maryland earned a score of 96 out of a possible 100 points, while Victoria University took second place with 95 points, with Appalachian State University third with 94 points.
Since 2002 the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon has taken place in Washington DC. The entries are designed to showcase a working display of energy innovation in action. First Light was just one of 20 university teams selected to compete in this year’s event and it’s also quite remarkable in that it’s the only entry, ever, from the Southern Hemisphere to make it to the finals.
From the official release: Architectural juror Michelle Kaufmann, who has been called “the Henry Ford of green homes” by the Sierra Club and is a former Associate with the office of Frank O. Gehry, said, “The Maryland home achieves an elegant mix of inspiration, function and simplicity. It takes our current greatest challenges in the built environment – energy and water – and transforms them into opportunities for spatial beauty and poetry while maintaining livability in every square inch. This is what the Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is all about.”
See below for video tours through the First Light’s design and also the winning entry from the University of Maryland.
