News and Information

October 20, 2007--Washington, DC: The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and The American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) announced their selection of Texas A&M University as the winner of the inaugural Student Choice Award as part of the Solar Decathlon national competition which took place October 12-19, 2007, in Washington, DC. The Solar Decathlon is a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.

This winning team was determined by a jury of five AIAS student members and also included one educator and one practitioner who served in a non-voting, advisory role. Jury members reviewed competition entries and selected the winning project using the intentions of the COTE Top Ten metrics as a framework for their evaluation. These measures cover a spectrum of technical and conceptual issues, ranging from design innovation and feedback mechanisms to energy flows and life cycle implications. As part of their evaluation, the jury considered each entry's process, development and intended use after the competition, placing particular emphasis on the social implications of the proposed solutions.

In recognizing Texas A&M University for this outstanding achievement, jury member Barrett Palmer from Howard University stated, "I am confident that we chose the team that deserves this award the most. The intention, execution, materials, design and post competition use makes a great example of what this competition is about." As the winner of this award, Texas A&M received a plaque made from environmentally sensitive wood that has been certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) and a monetary donation will also be made on their behalf to the environmentally-focused charity of the team's choice.