Our Mission

Team Tennessee Living Light, an interdisciplinary team at the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been accepted into the Solar
Decathlon 2011, a Department of Energy event that challenges students
to design and build a functioning, energy efficient, solar-powered
house. This is the first time a UT team has competed in the Solar
Decathlon.

Team Tennessee is focused on developing new technologies for zero
energy building. The team is led by faculty members Edgar Stach, James
Rose, and Barbara Klinkhammer in the College of Architecture and
Design, Deb Shmerler in the College of Art, and faculty from the
College of Engineering. More than 150 students – including
architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, graphic design,
electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering – have been
involved in the planning, designing, and building processes, which
ultimately will lead to constructing the 1,000 square-foot Living
Light structure.

“The core idea for the Living Light House is a structure that embraces
space and light. During the design process we kept returning to the
phrase Living Light for inspiration. We have incorporated multiple
interpretations of this concept into the design including maximizing
transparency and open space, minimizing energy use, and incorporating
built-in storage to reduce clutter.” – James Rose