Every two years, the U.S. Department of Energy hosts the Solar Decathlon competition, where 20 teams from universities in the United States and abroad design and build 800 square foot houses that showcase sustainable and renewable design elements. The solar-powered houses will be on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in October 2009, where they will be judged in 10 contests and open for public tours.

The ZEROW HOUSE is Rice University’s entry in the 2009 Solar Decathlon. The Rice Solar Decathlon team is a student-led project between the Rice Schools of Architecture and Engineering. Members of our team have been preparing for the 2009 Decathlon since January 2006, and we are proud to be the only team to represent the state of Texas in the 2009 competition.