Solar house wins again

Virginia Tech's School of Architecture + Design, in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, has won a National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) Honorable Mention for the Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy for its role in creating a solar house for U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2005.

This year's win marks the third time in the past four years that the School of Architecture + Design has been honored in the competition. Virginia Tech's School of Architecture + Design is now the only school in the nation that has won three NCARB honors.

The NCARB prizes recognize excellence and innovation when bringing together architectural education and practice. Architecture schools with NAAB-accredited degree programs are invited to submit established projects that demonstrate creative initiatives and integrate the academy and the profession within a studio curriculum. A total of six cash awards and honorable mentions are named each year.

The Virginia Tech solar house won Best Architecture, Best Dwelling, Best Daylighting and tied for Best Electric Lighting at Solar Decathlon 2005, a bi-annual international competition held on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The 18 solar decathlon teams were charged with creating attractive, practical and efficient solar homes.

The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is one of the largest of its type in the nation. The college is composed of two schools and the departments of landscape architecture, building construction, and art and art history. The School of Architecture + Design includes programs in architecture, industrial design and interior design. The School of Public and International Affairs includes programs in urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy, and government and international affairs. The college enrolls more than 2,000 students offering 22 degrees programs taught by 160 faculty members.