The 2005 Solar Decathlon Rules and Regulations embody our problem statement, but these same guidelines create a paradigm that would not exist in a real-world project. In most cases, houses are built on site, not shipped several thousand miles after construction. Likewise, many of the realities of building are missing from the Solar Decathlon Competition, for better or worse.

Because we hope to find a place for our solar-powered house after the 2005 competition, we designed the permanent installations of the house to be completely livable after competition. This decision led to our choice to have a toilet in the house, even though it is not allowed to function during the 2005 competition. We also decided that, instead of designing for October, we would design the permanent systems and structures of the house to be optimized for year-round conditions. This decision affected design choices like the roof angle tilt and the sizing of the HVAC system.