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Since this is the 4th time we, the University of Puerto Rico, are participating in the Solar Decathlon event, we thought it was important to include our previous experiences…. Here is what we have thought and what we have done:

SD 2002:

The first time the Solar Decathlon was held, we were the only team from overseas! This gave us the opportunity to obtain the Herculean Effort Award! And we obtained a 2nd place in Architecture and livability. This award was very important to us and one of the juries, the architect Glenn Murcutt, winner of the Pritzker Prize of Architecture stated that:

"This it is one of the most important categories and one of the most coveted. The jury gives second place to the team that is farthest away from here in terms of distance, the University of Puerto Rico. Its design represents a poetic space, comfortable, and practical. This it is a team that comes from the Tropics, and its design is extraordinary and appropriate for this competition and this event. In terms of energy efficiency it is very reasonable and shows what we would use on a daily basis. Furthermore, the use of color exhibits elegance and we enjoy its lighting. Congratulations!"

This image shows part of the 2002 Solar Decathlon University of Puerto Rico Team. The image shows the house of the UPR Team at the 2002 SD. Our house obtained the 2nd place in architecture and livability and this was the first of ten categories evaluated. The competition was held from September 28, 2002, till the 5th of October 2002. The image shows some visitors entering the UPR 2002 SD House. The image shows six decathletes and its professor, Fernando Abruña, in front of the house with the flag from Puerto Rico
The image shows a detail of the screens used in the South façade. The image shows the complete team that went to the SD2002 event and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in Washington DC, Aníbal Acevedo Vila The photo shows a line of visitors in the entry ramp of the 2002 UPR Team house after the announcement of the 2nd place in architecture.
More info (in Spanish) in:
http://www.usalatino.net/paises/puertorico/fotos_upr-solar-decathalon.html

SD 2005:

This year we had a 2nd place in Communications and our Team was comprised of students and professors from the Mayaguez Campus.

The photo shows the entry to the Decathlon’s way, with the Obelisk at the end. The photo shows the delegation from Puerto Rico at the SD2005. The delegation was directed by the President of the University of Puerto Rico, Antonio García Padilla, and the Mayagüez Camps Chancellor, Jorge I. Vélez Arocho. At the opening ceremony, both, Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner, Luis Fortuño, and the Director of the Puerto Rico Office in Washington, Eduardo Bathia, were present. The photo shows the Secretary of the Department of Energy of the United Status, Samuel W. Bodman, with the Puerto Rico Team.
The photo shows the University of Puerto Rico SD 2005 House south façade. The photo shows the side terrace of the house. The terrace became one of the most interesting spaces and was an attractive element
You can find more info (in Spanish) in:
http://www.universia.pr/portada/actualidad/noticia_actualidad.jsp?noticia=26141

SD 2007:

This year the University of Puerto Rico Team, comprised of students and professors from the Campuses in Rio Piedras and Mayaguez, won the 1st place in Hot Water. Our Team had students from Architecture, Engineering and Business Administration. The web page for this year was http://solar.uprm.edu/ Click on the link to access it!
You can also access a PDF with the information of our design intent.

Download Brochure-SD07 (PDF 782 KB)

There is also a video which you can access in
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePfIiZVmYEk&feature=related

The photo shows the house being assembled at the Washington Mall on the first day of the assembly. You can see some decathletes doing some construction work! The house is still in progress! The photo shows the two modules of the house being put together! The second module is being hoisted with a crane. The photo shows the house being assembled at the Washington Mall during the third night… You can see some decathletes doing some construction work! The photo shows the house being assembled at the Washington Mall. The two modules are already together and our house just needs the entry ramp
The photo shows the house being as it was designed and built for the competition. The view is from the South façade, which is our entry and most prominent side. The photo shows the interior counter space that divides the kitchen from the living room. The image shows the interior hallway of the house with the skylight in the roof and the orange nucleus of the house, which contained the laundry and bathroom. The photo shows the University of Puerto Rico 2007 delegation.
The photo shows the University of Puerto Rico Team in front of the house! The photo shows the public waiting in line to enter the house. You can see three decathletes from our Team waiting to receive the public The image shows a night view of the house and a detail of the water pond at the South façade with the orange glow from the interior of the house. The image shows one of our decathletes explaining the living machine and the water pond at the house
The image shows one of our decathletes collocating one lettuce in the hydroponics garden of the house. The image shows a detail of the hydroponics garden tubes with the lettuces at the entry space of the house.
Sponsors iTTCOOP Maximum DC Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon School of Architecture UPR
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