photograph by Jim Tetro>

Window on the Future

Every two years, the Department of Energy invites 20 teams from around the world to design and create solar-powered homes in a competition called the Solar Decathlon. Built for that contest, this house in College Park also caught our jury’s eye.

Using features such as louvered doors, a vertical rain garden, and renewable materials, the University of Maryland’s LEAFHouse team—a group of students, faculty, and local professionals—created a house that’s completely powered by the sun. Translucent panels can be moved to reconfigure the 800-square-foot house based on the time of year.

The jury praised the project as “important and innovative,” calling it a “forward-thinking demonstration of green technologies.”