Solar Decathlon

After yesterday's post I started wondering how the teams for the Solar Decathlon were coming along. For 2005 one school had a webcam so we could watch construction. I didn't know this until it was time to take everything apart so I missed most of the show. So I'm trying to get an earlier start this time.
The last time I looked the websites weren't even started. Now 19 of the 20 teams have sites, but only a few have posted their floorplans and sketches. And I'll present those to you here.

Cornell appears to be giving their home an exoskeleton. This gives several options for redesigning the outside by attaching or removing window shades or whatnot by season or mood. It provides easy access to the solar panels for maintenance. The panels could be repositioned to shade the roof or the deck. Air flows around the solar panels helping to keep them cool and running more efficiently. The solar panels shade the roof to keep the house cool.


Texas A&M seems to be using a modular design of a bunch of boxes with part attached as needed. They're putting plants on the roof to keep the house cool and make better use of the rainwater. There's also several small skylights to make the best use of natural light. The solar panels will shade the deck instead of being on the roof.


Kansas State is entered for the first time this year. I can't tell much from the image they provide. Looks like some recycled corrugated metal for shading the deck. Wooden slats over the windows to allow winter sun, but not summer. It's designed around the easy to transport mobile home model. Half of the building is for letting the sun in and half is for keeping it out.


University of Illinois has several picture of the plans they're considering here. They also seem interested in keeping the solar panels out of direct contact with the roof. They also seem to want to have sliding screens to put over the glass walls or remove at will.

MIT has an animated gif that you can see below. It moves too fast for me to make much sense of, but ... is that a sunken shower in an open air bathroom? No, that's a deck and maybe a hot tub? If so that shows confidence in their hot water production. Some windows have wooden slats outside while others have a pull down blind inside. And is that a pane of glass about a foot from the real window? The garage consists of a short wall about a car width from the house.
(note: when uploading this image the animation was lost. Follow the MIT link to see the original.

University of Maryland just has the one image. All I can see is that they put their wooden slats on hinges and that the solar panels are again up off the roof. They might be using them to channel rainwater somewhere.


I'm always pretty happy with what University of Missouri Rolla students come up with. The houses from 2002 and 2005 are being uses as on campus housing now.
They have a partially green roof and solar panels directly on the roof. Aside from that I can't tell much. You can see the floor plans here.