College teams meet at NREL for sustainable home design challenge
Twenty-eight teams from U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities will converge on the Energy Department's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., from April 26-28 to present their zero-energy ready home designs to panels of industry experts as part of the Energy Department's Challenge Home Student Design Competition.
Judges will evaluate the teams on their design and construction packages, project plans and energy-saving strategies. The students will also have the opportunity to hear from industry thought leaders, see the latest innovations transforming the housing industry and participate in a ceremony awarding the best designs.
As part of its Building America Program, the Energy Department is engaging collegiate teams across the continent to participate in the competition and become part of a leadership movement to achieve truly sustainable homes. Through the Challenge Home program, the Energy Department seeks to apply proven innovations for high-performance homes that can be implemented by the home building industry, thereby serving as models for future success.
The competition will provide the next generation of architects, engineers, construction managers, and entrepreneurs with skills and experience that can support careers in the expanding field of energy efficiency and renewable energy.
The following teams will be participating:
Auburn University (Auburn, AL) – two teams
California State University - Fresno
California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo)
University of Colorado – Denver – two teams
Clemson University (Clemson, SC)
Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago)
Illinois State University (Normal)
University of Kansas (Lawrence)
Lake Superior College (Duluth, MN)
University of Massachusetts – Lowell
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis)
University of Nevada – Las Vegas
Onondaga Community College (Syracuse, NY)
Pennsylvania College of Technology (Williamsport) – two teams
Pennsylvania State University (State College)
University of Pittsburgh
Roger Williams University (Bristol, RI)
Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ)Ryerson University (Toronto, ON) – two teams
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (Syracuse, NY)
Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY)
University of Toronto
University of Utah (Salt Lake City)
University of Wyoming (Laramie)
