Collegiate Times

The GEM e2 currently rests in Hood's garage while he searches for time to have it registered.

"I've tooled around a little bit in the neighborhood," he said, "but I try not to drive it on the street. That would be illegal."

With warm weather on our heels, though, Hood says he'll utilize his electric ride soon. I think he'll garner a reputation around campus, but Hood casually shrugged off such a consequence.

"I don't know if it's cool or not to have one of those," he said.

Hood's ticket was one of more than 900 sold, yielding nearly $10,000 for the Solar Decathlon Team. While impressive, the sum hardly places a dent in the nearly half a million dollars needed to realize such a unique project.

The concept of the team's 2009 entry, LumenHaus, is "responsive architecture."

At its core, the 700 square foot LumenHaus is a transparent pavilion with an entirely photovoltaic roof. Large mobile windows on the north and south facades don't have to be barriers. Once the user slides the glass aside, the two deck terraces essentially triple the floor plan's square footage.  

Parallel with the windows, though, are two motor-controlled wall systems that introduce energy efficiency. Aerogel-infused polycarbonate panels can close to ensure an insulated interior. These panels are 2.5 inches thick and perform better than your apartment walls. A final shading layer controls the degree of light entry.

The motors operate via sensors that communicate with computer monitors and controls. Interior and exterior conditions are simultaneously measured, and appropriate adjustments are made according to the user's pre-set comfort levels.

The user will also have the ultimate remote control: the iPhone.

Tech's computer science department is crafting an application that will place your home's fate in the palm of your hand.

Among other things, you will be able to move the wall systems, monitor energy consumptions levels, and even control your front door's lock.

At the Research and Demonstration Facility on Plantation Road, students are tirelessly piecing together the house. It's an intensive process, but they seem particularly mindful of the experience's rarity.

"It's a built project that I have before I graduate," said fourth year architecture student, Corey McCalla. "When I graduate I don't know what the heck is going to happen. I may not have anything built that's my own for decades."

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