Collegiate Times

Virginia Tech's Lumenhaus is one of 20 Solar Decathlon houses lining the National Mall.

"This goes back to what the DOE wants to do," Dunay said. "It wants to give the public information about their energy use."

The Lumenhaus iPhone application shows users the electricity consumption of equipment including their refrigerator, dishwasher and washing machine. Dunay said making that data easily accessible might encourage people to alter their daily patterns, therefore saving money and natural resources.

The human resources that helped create Lumenhaus were certainly vast. Project coordinator Joe Wheeler said numerous academic departments were involved including architecture, industrial design, business, building construction and engineering.

"I had a listserv at one point that had 75 people," Wheeler said.

Lumenhaus planning began more than three years ago after the 2005 Solar Decathlon, and many students have been loyal to the project for its duration - some even dedicated entire summers to the cause. Working on the house gives students valuable professional experience, which isn't always provided in their educational curriculum.

Some Lumenhaus team members even adopted nomadic lifestyles as the competition has neared. Lumenhaus spent September on a lawn of the nearby National Building Museum as part of a sustainability exhibition. Students continued to erect the house, easily surpassing 12-hour days.

Hotels were not provided for students before the house relocated to the National Mall. While some caught up on sleep in a nearby Winnebago, others sprawled out on the concrete Lumenhaus floor. It wasn't the most comfortable setup, but senior industrial design student Casey Reev appreciated the novel experience.

"Who can say they lived in an RV in the middle of D.C.?" he asked.

Fifth-year architecture student Alden Haley was unsure how he will handle the late-October transition back to Blacksburg. He, like other devoted contributors, has been out in the field for nearly two months and will have to adjust to a classroom setting.

"I've got to get started on schoolwork," he joked. "I have a feeling I won't be very motivated to do that."

For the time being, team members can enjoy the culmination of their efforts as the Washington Monument and the Capitol anchor their progressive neighborhood. Construction ended yesterday, and it's now up to the houses to perform.

The Solar Decathlon jury will begin its 10 contests today, whose criteria include architecture, lighting design and home entertainment - maybe the jurors will be charmed by the Lumenhaus Wii.

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