Solar Light Pipe presentation in Washington, D.C.

A "solar pipe" system, designed by a Texas A&M College of Architecture team, was among the winning entries in a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-sponsored sustainability competition held April 23-26 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The P3 (People, Prosperity and the Planet) competition, held as part of the EPA's 2010 National Sustainable Design Expo, challenged college students to create sustainable solutions for worldwide environmental problems through technological innovation.

The Texas A&M team was one of 14 in the 42-team nationwide competition to earn an EPA P3 Award, which was presented at an April 26 ceremony hosted by the National Academy of Science. The award includes $75,000 to further develop of the winning design, implement it in the field, or move it to the marketplace.

During the P3 contest and exposition, the Texas A&M students, led by Liliana Beltrán, associate professor of architecture, used a model to demonstrate to judges and the general public a solar light pipe system for transporting natural light into the interior of buildings. The presentation included a live video feed to the actual project site at the college's Digital Fabrication Facility, or "Architecture Ranch," at the Texas A&M Riverside Campus.

For more about the team's visit to D.C., visit archone.tamu.edu/college/news/newsletters/spring2010/stories/Beltran_solarpipe.h­tml.

See the project's home page at archone.tamu.edu/epap3/.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Liliana Beltrán
• Solar light pipe