Georgia Tech has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy's 2017 Solar Decathlon, a sustainable housing design competition featuring collegiate teams from around the world. Starting this semester, students will begin working on a project in one of our Vertical Design Studios led by Charles Rudolph in conjunction with the Institute-wide Vertically Integrated Projects Program. As an interdisciplinary effort between the Colleges of Architecture, Business, Computing, and Engineering, a team of undergraduate and graduate students will work over the next 18 months to research, design, build, and transport a functioning net-zero energy house to Irvine California, the site of the 2017 Solar Decathlon. During this bi-annual competition and public demonstration, 75,000 – 100,000 visitors will come to tour the houses and learn more about design, renewable energy technology, and residential energy use.