The Solar Decathlon is an educational project of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Architecture - Solar Decathlon 2007

(200 points)

Teams are required to design and build attractive, high-performance houses that integrate solar and energy efficiency technologies seamlessly into home design. Scoring well in Architecture is crucial; teams earn up to 200 points—more points than any other contest. A jury of esteemed architects tour the team homes to judge the Architecture contest. They evaluate three main factors:

Firmness—the house's strength, suitability, and appropriateness of materials for the building
Commodity—ease of entry into the house and circulation among the public and private zones; architectural strategy used to accommodate the technologies required to run the house; and generosity and sufficiency of space in the house
Delight—surprises, unusual use of ordinary materials, or use of extraordinary materials in the house.

Printable Version

Photo of a home that features floor-to-ceiling wood blinds with integrated solar cells on all four sides of the building. Some of the blinds are folded back, revealing windows that reflect the blue sky.

Team Germany's unique architecture, which featured solar cells integrated into the wood blinds covering their home's windows, won over the jurors and led to a first-place win in the 2007 Solar Decathlon for Technische Universität Darmstadt.