Winter break at the University has just passed, and for many of us on the team, it hardly seemed like a break at all. It was a chance for team leaders and faculty to put a pause on classes, exams, projects, and school altogether to focus on the house.

When the fall semester ended, the team came together and produced the draft set of construction drawings for all the systems on the house, ranging from architecture, to mechanical, to electrical, to landscaping. Editing the draft construction drawings began after visiting the January Solar Decathlon workshop. Many of the questions we had about the competition rules, regulations, and procedures once on the National Mall were clarified at the workshop. It was an amazing image to see at this workshop, a large hall of solar enthusiasts all working on their own solar houses just like us.

The January workshop hosted by the DOE was a question and answer session for all participating teams. In addition to getting answers to our questions, we also met some of our counterparts on other teams. Many of our team members were very gracious and hospitable to the visiting teams, offering suggestions on the local culture and the hot spots in the area. As the home team, we welcomed the visiting teams to our backyard, Washington D.C.

After the workshop, we went back to work on improving and red-lining our drawing set. A work session, similar to the ones held at the Green Building Institute, was held on campus during the break. Team leaders collaborated with faculty and mentors to make decisions for construction. Currently, we are on the verge of construction. The construction site has been finalized, and will be between the Architecture Building and the Business Building. It's the perfect location in terms of accessibility for students, but also great for exposure on campus!

Look for us on campus in the coming months.