UMD Wins Architecture Award at Solar Decathlon

The University of Maryland's entry in its Solar Decathlon competition has taken first place for architecture, the Department of Energy said. The overall winner will be announced Saturday.

The competition pits university designed solar-powered homes against each other. The homes are on display this week on the National Mall's West Potomac Park.

The competition involves 10 contests that gauge each house on factors including performance, livability and affordability. The winning home will produce as much or more energy than it consumes.

Maryland's entry is called WaterShed and includes water-saving as well as energy-saving technologies. Maryland, Ohio State and Purdue lead the overall standings. The engineering winner will be announced Thursday.