Four East Coast Competitors

University of Maryland takes second with Leaf House

by Jean Gossman
American University Interactive Journalism Program
Fall 2007

Photo by Jean Gossman

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Small cozy houses, vegetable gardens, and strolling passersby on village streets sometimes feel like a thing from the past, and perhaps especially so on the bustling East Coast. Four Eastern universities worked to create their own such bucolic haven on the National Mall, competing in the Solar Decathlon.

These entrants, Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), and the University of Maryland, designed striking modern solar houses. Nowadays, we might call them “green,” or “sustainable.” But they incorporate older values like reusing materials with minimal waste to build a home, and growing your own food to enjoy on the porch with friends and family.

The University of Maryland won second place in the overall competition with their stunning LEAF House. LEAF stands for Leading Everyone Abundantly Forward. Plants are the ultimate converter of sunlight to energy, and they bedecked the house’s exterior, forming the “Green Wall.” This useful-as-well-as-ornamental drainage system helps minimize runoff damage to the Chesapeake Bay, where the house was originally situated.

Photo by Jean Gossman

Cornell had a special focus on sustainable living as part of the “small triangle” of home, work, and community life. Their flower and vegetable beds delighted the eye as the scent of herbs wafted by the evacuated-tube solar collectors. MIT won first place in energy balance, using system management controls both to gauge their metrics and assess the competition standings. They also designed kitchen countertops and cabinets made of plant-based products. NYIT’s open and airy house won sixth place for architecture. The NYIT team embraces the “open source” concept in new innovations; you can download the house plans and specifications at their Web site.

These small homes will be disassembled and leave the Mall. The teams will return to their schools. And visitors to the Solar Decathlon will return to their homes, perhaps for “greener” pastures.

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