The Ten Contests
ARCHITECTURE (200 points)
This contest will evaluate houses on their relationship to the time-honored architectural values of firmness, commodity and delight. This relates not only to aesthetics and construction, but also to spatial flow and accommodation, material choices and the integration of systems.
ENGINEERING (150 points)
For this contest, teams seek to create the most innovative, efficient and functional systems. The houses will be evaluated based on the quality of their exterior envelope, interior environmental controls and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. A jury will assess the teams' success with simulating the energy use of the houses.
MARKET VIABILITY (150 points)
The long-term success of solar technologies will depend on the buy-in of the market. The jury for this contest will look at the team's chosen target market and evaluate the house based on its appropriateness for that target market. They will also look more broadly at the house's livability, buildability and flexibility.
COMMUNICATIONS (100 points)
There are two parts to this contest, both related to how teams communicate the central messages of their house to the public. One part is the team's website; the other is the plan for house tours on the National Mall in October.
COMFORT ZONE (100 points)
The comfort of a space is most determined by its temperature and humidity. As we've all experienced, extreme heat or cold and extreme humidity can cause extreme discomfort. This contest tests the house's mechanical system's ability to maintain a fairly constant temperature and humidity.
APPLIANCES (100 points)
A modern house is filled with appliances for a variety of purposes: cooking, washing, drying and entertainment. In a solar house, those appliances can only work if enough energy is collected from the sun. For this contest, teams are required to operate appliances for a certain number of hours over the contest week.
HOT WATER (100 points)
To test the ability of the mechanical system to produce enough hot water, teams will have to run a number of showers throughout the week. If the shower is hot enough, and lasts long enough, teams will receive all available points.
LIGHTING (100 points)
Lighting is used both for functional purposes and to enhance the experience and ambiance of a space. In this contest, team's lighting strategies are evaluated on subject qualities as well as on specific lighting measurements.
ENERGY BALANCE (100 points)
This contest tests the ability of house's energy collection system to meet the needs of consumption over time. At the beginning of the contest week, organizers measure the level of energy in the team's batteries. They measure the energy again at the end of the week. If the measurement at the end of the week matches or exceeds the measurement at the beginning, teams will achieve maximum points.
GETTING AROUND (100 points)
The winner of this contest is the team that racks up the highest mileage on their electric car. The car can only be powered with electricity from the house's photo voltaic array. That means that driving the car may reduce the team's ability to achieve energy balance.
