NYIT SOLAR DECATHLON 2005
The NYIT Solar Decathlon 2005 project is the production of a student-designed house of the future, which will be
built on the Washington Mall in September 2005. NYIT was competitively selected by the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL) from an international pool of universities for this opportunity. NYIT Solar Decathlon
2005 demonstrates NYIT’s commitment to a sustainable future.
Students from nineteen schools from all over the world will build houses completely powered by the sun on the
Washington Mall during the fall of 2005. Each house will support modern conveniences such as dishwashers,
cooking appliances and clothing washers and dryers. In addition, each house will supply power to a small electric
car supplied by NREL.
The NYIT house is particularly innovative. It will incorporate a fuel cell and will actually communicate with its
inhabitants through convergent media technology currently under development at NYIT. During the fall of 2003,
students researched and explored design ideas in Interior Design, Building Construction and Communication Arts
courses. In January, NYIT hosted a design charrette to generate a conceptual design. These drawings and models
represent the work of student teams who worked during a four-day charrette in January to begin the project.
During the charrette students researched and developed ideas showing how the spatial and environmental
systems of the house are integrated with and enhance requirements for living. The project is multi-disciplinary and
involves all three campuses. Students at all levels and from all campuses of NYIT’s School of Architecture and
Design participated under the guidance of Professors Matthias Altwicker and Michele Bertomen (Architecture),
Paul Koch (Engineering), Paul Lipsky (Communications) and Martha Siegel (Interior Design). Professors Herbert
Fox and Robert Amundsen of the School of Engineering are also participants in the project. The selected project
will be developed over the next one and one half years until construction in 2005.
List of students who participated in the NYIT Solar Decathlon 2005 Design Charrette in January 2004 (listed by
team) :
Eric Heuler
Erin Magner
Shartaj Singh
Donna Venezia
Heather Castelli
Jason Dames
Heather Korb
Nina Alafoyiannis
Charles Angona
George Kreatsoulas
Erik Maso
Gian Russo
Alexandra Stien
Anca Tusinean
The design produced by Heather Castelli, Jason Dames and Heather Korb was unanimously selected by an
independent jury lead by Professor Frederick Bentel. Professors Jonathan Friedman, Nadia Elroksy, William
Palmore and Diane Neff were also part of the jury.
A second team of students has enrolled in Solar Decathlon 291 Spring 04 to develop and produce construction
documents of the design. Students who enroll in Solar Decathlon 291 Fall 04, Solar Decathlon Spring 04, Solar
Decathlon Fall 05 will build, test and re-build the house on the Washington D.C. Mall in the fall of 2005.
The following students participated by doing preliminary research and exploration in the courses listed below in the
Fall 03:
Professor Martha Siegel, Architecture and Design
DSGN 301-W01 – Interior Design Problems I
Kristen Emory
Julianne Hamilton
Laura Hanshe
Dirt Intizarian
Kerriann Kane
Joanne Kuruvilla
Kathryn Lapp
Rachel Martineau
Christie Palmieri
Gennet Persaud
Kimberly Scimeca
Hyun Yi
Professor Paul Lipsky, Communication Arts
COMM 625 - Art in the Era of Mass Communication
Joseph Armour
Danielle Casquarelli
John DeRosa
Sertekin Ertekin
Scott Finkelstein
Corey Frankel
Fran Kiperman
Jennifer Lerch
Jason Liu
Le Lu
Christopher Panza
Patrick Prato
David Rodriguez
Robert Terlizzi
Vivian Wang
Professor Matthias Altwicker, Architecture and Design
ARCH 221- Building Construction 1
Steven M. Boldis
Sigalit Brunn
Joseph Colapietro
Illinois Galvan
Leah Gazit
Teffin I. George
Daniel Gomes
Wade Hughes
Thomas J. Lozada
Angelina Pena
Laura M. Pica
John Pinizzotto
Thomas A. Ragusa
Jessica N. Soskil
Christopher J. Vitelas
Brian J. Williamson
Peter S. Wroblewski
The NYIT Solar Decathlon 2005 Team appreciates your support. Thank you Dr. Edward Guiliano, Dean Judith
DiMaio, Dean Heskia Heskiaoff, Dean Harriet Kulka, Dean Roger Yu.