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In October 2005 RISD entered a full-scale prototype of a super energy-efficient home in the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. The product of two years of studio work by RISD students, the house was exhibited for a week on the National Mall in Washington, DC, along with entries from 18 other liberal arts and technical colleges and universities invited to participate.

The contest, billed by the Department of Energy as “a constructive demonstration of solar power,” entails building a 500- to 800-sf residence that can generate enough solar power to meet all of its own energy needs — from lighting, to heating, to powering appliances — while also accommodating a home-based business and supplying power for an electric car.

The goal is to prove that investment in renewable energy sources and technologies to boost energy efficiency will reduce dependence on foreign oil, improve human health, conserve natural resources and create markets for American products worldwide. “Unlike a convention or a trade show, the Solar Decathlon is a public demonstration,” noted faculty member Jonathan Knowles, who directed RISD’s participation in the project. “Nothing presented at the Decathlon is out of the public’s reach; the houses work and prove that the technology is viable now.”

Although the competition has come and gone, exciting opportunities continue to emerge from RISD’s participation. In November 2005 students and faculty who worked on the project presented their energy innovations to the US Congress’ Subcommittee on Science and Technology, and in July 2006 the team will participate in the Emerging Architecture Session on Technology, Architecture and Education at the American Solar Energy Society Conference in Denver, CO. Among the other on- and off-campus initiatives to emerge from the Decathlon experience, the Architecture Department has been invited to join the US Department of Energy in designing a 30,000-sf zero-energy kindergarten for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Village. The solar house and RISD’s team have also been featured on the PBS program This Old House and on the DIY Network.

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