The University of Colorado's 2007 Solar Decathlon house will be open for public tours starting on Earth Day, April 22, a fitting day to showcase the student-designed, student-built home and its innovative sustainable technologies.
The CU Solar Decathlon Team will open the doors at 4 p.m. and will be ready to give tours and answer any questions visitors may have until 7 p.m. Drop-in tours will continue every Saturday from April 26 through May 31 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment for groups of five or more. The house also is available for private events relating to sustainable design, building or technology, or climate awareness.
The house, which was returned to Boulder since last fall's competition in Washington, D.C., is now located on CU-Boulder's East Campus, near the intersection of Colorado Avenue and 30th Street. Visitors can take Colorado Avenue to Innovation Drive, east of 30th Street by the LASP Space Technology Research Center, or use RTD route 209, the Bound or the Stampede to get to the site.
"The team is excited to open the house to the community and looks forward to inspiring and informing the visitors about sustainable design and green building practices," said team member Sara Hrynik.
The Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Golden-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory. CU's 2007 entry was the university's third. Twenty universities participated in the event last October, including the University of Darmstadt in Germany, which took first place, and several other international teams.
The CU team used surplus shipping containers for the plumbing, mechanical and electrical core of its house, and structural insulated panels for the living spaces. The home also showcases an innovative building-integrated photovoltaic-thermal array and water-source heat-pump system designed by the engineering team.
Visitors will be able to learn about solar power, energy-efficient strategies for home design and environmentally friendly interior design materials and finishes.
Visit the team's Web site at for more information on the house and competition. To schedule private tours or events, contact Chad Corbin at (720) 771-6782 or charles.corbin@colorado.edu, or Professor Michael Brandemuehl at (303) 492-8594 or michael.brandemuehl@colorado.edu.