HU/ODU Team Selected to Compete in Solar Decathlon 2011

Hampton, VA - A Hampton University team has been selected to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Solar Decathlon 2011, which will be held on the National Mall in the fall of 2011. Team Tidewater Virginia includes HU architecture students along with engineering students from Old Dominion University (ODU).

Twenty teams from around the world including Ghent University in Ghent, Belgium, and Tongji University in Shanghai, China will compete to design and build a solar powered house that is affordable, attractive, and energy efficient.

Team Tidewater has focused their efforts on the local urban environment. Expanding on the goals of the DOE, to create a marketable and sustainable building those members of the community can afford, they plan to create a six-unit multi-family building, to be located in Norfolk's Park Place.

"I could not be more proud of these fine Hampton University students," stated Mason Andrews , HU associate professor and co-principal investigator for the Solar Decathlon 2011. "They actually increased the scope of the enormous DOE challenge to design a single-family house netting zero use of non-renewable energy. Their commitment to demonstrate that walk-able cities are the most sustainable development pattern for the future by designing a full multi-family building is ambitious, shows real leadership, and was clearly well done."

Twelve HU architecture students worked with a team from ODU to create the winning design. Over the next few semesters' many additional students from the department will continue to build the project in Park Place.

"The opportunity to compete in a project of this magnitude will absolutely be an invaluable addition to my architecture education at Hampton," stated Noel Harrison, a senior architecture major. "The opportunity to design and build a project in tandem with an engineering team provides an absolute real world experience that I am grateful to be exposed to as a student."

According to the DOE, a panel of engineers, scientists and experts from the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory evaluated applications while professionals from the American Institute of Architects, the National Association of Home Builders, the U.S. Green Building Council, building industry media, and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers evaluated designs from teams to select the 20 teams.

"These students are tomorrow's leaders in helping develop a clean energy economy," stated Energy Secretary Steven Chu in a release from the DOE. "Their innovative projects will help raise public awareness about energy efficiency, help save consumers money and reduce carbon pollution."