And the Winner Is...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the winners of its Solar Decathlon Design Challenge, in which student teams design energy efficient, cutting-edge structures.

The DOE competition's 10 contests include both suburban and urban single-family buildings, attached housing, mixed-use spaces, and educational and office spaces. Held at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. in April, the winners of the 45 student teams from 37 collegiate institutions exemplified "architectural and engineering excellence with innovation, market potential, building efficiency, and smart energy production."

"We applaud these students who are integrating building science with great design to showcase the tremendous potential of these high performance buildings to save Americans on energy costs," said Steve Chalk, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). "Solar Decathlon Design Challenge brings student ingenuity together with DOE technical resources and industry leader perspectives to prepare students to unlock these savings in their future careers as architects, engineers, and other building professionals."

See the winners