The U.S. Department of Energy made a defining decision when it moved the Solar Decathlon away from the National Mall in Washington, D.C., selecting the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California, as the new venue for the 2013 competition. After hosting the event on the National Mall for nearly a decade, the DOE shifted the contest to the runway of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. This relocation reflected new priorities around venue accessibility, the long-term preservation of the National Mall, and expanding the competition’s geographic reach. Builders and design professionals tracking collegiate innovation shaping energy efficient home construction gained fresh insight from the new location and the 20 teams that assembled there.
A New Home Takes Shape on the West Coast
The 2013 Solar Decathlon marked a major geographic shift for a competition synonymous with the National Mall. For nine years, teams had erected their solar-powered demonstration homes on the grassy expanse between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors. The new venue, the Orange County Great Park, occupies a decommissioned Marine Corps air station and offered a hard, flat tarmac surface that simplified the logistics of setting up full-scale houses. The runways, originally built for military aircraft, provided ample space for 20 solar homes, support tents, and public walkways.
Irvine’s climate also offered an advantage over Washington, D.C. Southern California’s mild temperatures, low humidity, and abundant sunshine created near-ideal conditions for testing solar energy systems. Teams no longer had to contend with the humidity and unpredictable spring storms that occasionally disrupted East Coast events. The warmer, drier conditions allowed student builders to focus more on energy performance and design quality. Past winners demonstrated how location shaped design decisions, and the Watershed House achieving net zero energy performance under very different conditions provided a benchmark for the 2013 teams.
Setting up on the tarmac also changed how visitors experienced the homes. Instead of navigating crowded mall pathways, attendees walked along the former aircraft runway in a deliberate, linear layout. This arrangement gave each team equal visual prominence and made side-by-side comparisons easier for the public and the jury alike.
Behind the Decision to Relocate the Competition
The DOE did not make the move lightly. In January 2011, the department announced it had begun searching for an alternate location because it wanted to support a National Park Service restoration program designed to protect the National Mall. Years of heavy foot traffic from events like the Solar Decathlon, Independence Day celebrations, and political rallies had taken a toll on the mall’s turf, irrigation systems, and underlying infrastructure.
When news of the planned relocation broke, it generated significant opposition. Many student teams had tied their fund-raising campaigns to the prestige of displaying homes on the National Mall. Politicians from affected districts also pushed back, arguing the move would reduce visibility for a beloved Washington tradition. The protests led to a temporary compromise: the 2011 contest was held at West Potomac Park, a section of the mall south of the main area, rather than on the prime central turf. This compromise bought time for the DOE to finalize the Orange County Great Park as the permanent venue for 2013.
The selection process for the new location involved evaluating multiple sites across the country. The Orange County Great Park offered several compelling advantages:
- Available infrastructure that did not require temporary protection or restoration afterward
- Ample space for the full competition layout including houses, judging areas, and public amenities
- Strong local government support from the city of Irvine and Orange County
- A growing clean technology sector in Southern California that could engage with student teams
- Year-round mild climate that reduced weather-related scheduling risks
The 2013 Team Roster and Institutional Talent Pool
The DOE selected 20 teams for the 2013 Solar Decathlon, comprising 16 teams from U.S. universities, two from Canadian institutions, one from Vienna University of Technology in Austria, and one from Czech Technical University in Prague. The lineup mixed returning competitors with first-time participants. Institutions that fielded teams in the 2011 competition, including Middlebury College, Stevens Institute of Technology, and the University of Calgary, brought valuable experience from their previous projects. The earlier Empowerhouse project by Stevens Institute demonstrated how interdisciplinary academic collaboration could produce affordable passive designs, setting a standard for the 2013 teams.
Below is a breakdown of the competing teams organized by geographic region and institutional makeup:
| Region | Participating Institutions | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast U.S. | Middlebury College, Norwich University, Stevens Institute of Technology | Cold-climate design strategies, passive house principles |
| Mid-Atlantic U.S. | Catholic University of America, George Washington University, American University, Hampton University / Old Dominion University | Urban infill approaches, affordable housing focus |
| West Coast U.S. | Stanford University, Santa Clara University, USC, SCI-Arc / Caltech | California energy codes, resilient materials |
| Southwest U.S. | Arizona State University / University of New Mexico, UTEP / El Paso CC, University of Nevada Las Vegas | Desert-adapted passive cooling, high solar gain strategies |
| Midwest / South U.S. | Missouri S&T, University of Louisville / Ball State / University of Kentucky, West Virginia University, UNC Charlotte | Mixed-humidity climate solutions, heat pump integration |
| Canada | University of Calgary, Queens University / Carleton University / Algonquin College | Northern climate envelopes, cold-climate heat recovery |
| International | Vienna University of Technology (Austria), Czech Technical University (Prague) | European passive house standards, prefabricated construction |
Santa Clara University, which presented the Refract House during the 2009 competition, returned to apply lessons from its earlier solar chimney and phase-change material experiments. The University of Calgary also returned with fresh ideas after its TRTL project from 2011, which had focused on modular construction and adaptable floor plans.
How the Runway Venue Transforms the Competition Dynamic
The choice of a former military airbase runway as the exhibition site introduced practical changes to how the Solar Decathlon operated. Teams set up their houses directly on the paved tarmac, eliminating the need for temporary ground protection measures required on the National Mall. The consistent, level surface made foundation work more predictable and reduced site preparation time. For builders following the residential construction market, these operational insights offered lessons in how site selection affects project efficiency. Recent trends such as existing home sales rising while new home sales decline have underscored the importance of understanding how builders can read market signals.
The linear layout along the runway created a different visitor experience compared to the cluster arrangement used on the mall. Visitors walked a straight path past each house, encouraging them to enter every home rather than picking a few favorites. This traffic pattern meant every house needed a compelling entry experience and clear energy performance displays visible from the main walkway.
The Orange County Great Park location also placed the competition in a region with a strong clean technology economy. Solar manufacturers, energy storage companies, and green building product suppliers concentrated in Southern California gave teams easier access to industry mentors, donated materials, and technical expertise. This ecosystem advantage was something the Washington, D.C. venue could not match in terms of industry proximity.
Core Technologies Driving Student Innovations
All 20 teams focused their efforts on several key technology areas that the DOE identified as essential for advancing residential energy efficiency. These areas formed the technical backbone of the 2013 competition and reflected broader trends in home building. According to the DOE announcement, every team incorporated innovations across the following systems:
- Energy efficient building envelopes with advanced insulation, air sealing, and high-performance glazing
- Integrated design strategies that optimized building orientation, window placement, and interior layout
- Performance control and monitoring systems that tracked real-time energy use and adjusted HVAC and lighting
- Building-integrated photovoltaic systems that incorporated solar panels into roof tiles, facades, and shading structures
- Heat recovery and ventilation systems that captured waste heat while maintaining indoor air quality
Many teams pushed beyond these core areas by experimenting with emerging technologies. Several houses included phase-change materials embedded in walls or ceilings to buffer temperature swings. Others tested greywater heat recovery systems that captured energy from shower drains. Smart home automation platforms became more common, with teams integrating lighting, shading, and HVAC controls into single interfaces accessible from smartphones and tablets.
The emphasis on building-integrated photovoltaics reflected a maturing solar industry that could offer more aesthetically flexible products. Instead of bolting standard panels onto roofs, teams used solar shingles, transparent thin-film glass, and custom-shaped modules that became architectural features. For builders tracking broader trends, data showing existing home sales rising while new home sales decline reinforced the need for builders to understand how to forecast demand across different segments of the housing market.
The Lasting Influence of the Solar Decathlon on Residential Building
The Solar Decathlon has produced lasting effects on residential construction that extend far beyond the competition itself. Many technologies that first appeared in student-built houses have since entered mainstream production. Structural insulated panels, vacuum insulation, and ductless mini-split heat pumps were all refined and popularized through the visibility these projects provided. The competition has also trained a generation of architects, engineers, and builders who bring their Solar Decathlon experience into professional practice.
The move to Orange County Great Park did more than change the competition’s address. It signaled that the DOE wanted the Solar Decathlon to reach new audiences, engage with the clean technology industry directly, and operate in a venue that could accommodate the event’s growth. The hardscape surface, ample parking, and existing utilities of the former airbase made it a practical long-term home for the contest.
The broader significance for home builders lies in the demonstration effect. When student teams prove that net-zero energy homes can be built on a budget using available materials and standard construction methods, the lessons transfer directly to market-rate housing. The Solar Decathlon continues to push boundaries in building science, and its new California home positioned it to influence the residential sector for years to come. As the industry watches solar adoption accelerate, the connection between solar power developer IPO activity signaling a growing residential solar market becomes increasingly relevant for home builders planning their long-term energy strategies.