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Universidad of Puerto Rico Continues to Shine in
Solar Decathlon 2002

Renowned Architect Lauds Univ. of Puerto Rico in Solar Decathlon

by Steven M. Spivak, PhD.
10/01/2002

Washington, DC, October 1, 2002. A special contribution to DCLatino.com.
During this week’s intense competition among fourteen university teams competing in the first ever Solar Decathlon Competition, sponsored by the US Department of Energy, the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) student team continues to excel and garner praise for its extraordinary efforts and talent. It may have become, in my personal opinion, the “darling” team among many -having come so far (literally across the seas) with its solar energy house now reconstructed and fully operational on Washington DC’s mall.

One of the competition’s most important categories and sought after awards was for the overall category of livability and design. Commendably, The University of Puerto Rico received second place among the fourteen university teams competing in this coveted category. Presenting for this part of the competition was renowned Australian architect Glenn Murcutt, and recent winner of the Pritzker international architecture prize. (The Pritzker Prize for architecture is equated in stature with the Nobel Prize given for other fields of endeavor). Speaking for the entire jury, Glenn Murcutt summarized UPR’s solar house entry in this category of livability and design as follows.
“The jury gives second prize to the team furthest removed from the site, the University of Puerto Rico. [Their solar house is] a beautiful, spatial, poetic, comfortable solution that can be operated in this place. Here’s a team that’s come from the tropics, that’s designed something that the jury felt was extraordinarily appropriate for this competition in terms of its energy, usage, and the way of thinking.” ….There were also some gestures of the cultural heritage in terms of colors … it has an elegant simplicity, it is a quiet solution. We also enjoyed the quality of lighting within the building. So to you all, congratulations!”

An accompanying photo on this web site shows Architect Glenn Murcutt (in long sleeved white shirt) posing with the University of Puerto Rico’s students and faculty advisors including architecture professor Fernando Abruna, all proudly displaying the flag of Puerto Rico. Photos are courtesy of colleagues Dr. Loida Velilla and Engineer Jose Vega, who have regularly been on the Mall this week to “cheer” the UPR team.

Professor Fernando Abruna accepted this award for the University of Puerto Rico and its student team - comprising students from the School of Architecture in Rio Piedras, and the School of Engineering in Mayaguez. He acknowledged this recognition of their accomplishments. “We are all very proud of this position. There are two components of our team, an engineering component and an architecture component. … It’s basically the achievement of the students … we all worked together as a team, and to convey the essence of our heritage, of our cultural roots, but we had to design a house for Washington, DC. The problem now with us is that once we’re done, we have to take that house back to Puerto Rico – and to make it, adjust it to the Puerto Rican climate … And bringing that house from Puerto Rico to Washington, DC was like a second project! Thanks the all the organizers [of the Solar Decathlon competition].”

The National Solar Decathlon Competition continues on the Mall until October 5th.

• Universidad de Puerto Rico Brilla en Décalo Solar (Solar Decathlon) 2002
• Universidad de Puerto Rico Continua Brillando en Décalo Solar (Solar Decathlon) 2002

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