The First Light house

VERDA IS IN WASHINGTON DC      13 SEP - 7 OCT 2011

A student team from Victoria University of Wellington have been assembling a solar-powered Kiwi bach in Frank Kitts Park as a practice run for the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011, taking place in Washington DC later in the year.

The team, led by students from Victoria’s School of Architecture, is one of only 20 teams worldwide and the first entry ever from the Southern Hemisphere to compete in the prestigious competition. Every two years the Solar Decathlon challenges students to design, build and operate an attractive, affordable house powered entirely by the sun.

The Victoria team’s entry: the First Light house will be open for public tours from May 7th to 24th, 12 noon to 4pm weekdays and 10am to 5:30pm on weekends.

As well as showcasing solar technologies to the public, the assembly and tours of the house on Frank Kitts Park will act as a practice run for the US competition, which begins in September in Washington DC (from the 23rd of September until the 2nd of October 2011). After the public exhibition the house will be packed up and shipped off to the US for the competition.

For more information on the Solar Decathlon competition, go to www.solardecathlon.gov/competition.html

Verda has supplied all the decking and raised gardens to enhance the outdoor area of this inspirational house. For more information on the First Light house, go to http://firstlighthouse.ac.nz/