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Photo of ICON Solar House at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009. Enlarge image

The University of Minnesota's ICON Solar House is on display at the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis.
(Credit: Jim Tetro/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Who: University of Minnesota
What: ICON Solar House
Where:
Bell Museum of Natural History
10 Church St. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
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Public tours: The exhibit is open during the Bell Museum’s regular hours of operation from Oct. 16, 2010, to May 15, 2011. For more information, call 612-624-7083.

Solar Decathlon 2009

University of Minnesota: Living up to an Iconic Name

After the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009, the University of Minnesota stored ICON Solar House on campus until summer 2010. The house was then reconstructed at the university's Bell Museum of Natural History for an exhibit titled "Sustainable Shelter: Dwelling Within the Forces of Nature." The exhibit—which runs Oct. 16, 2010, through May 15, 2011—considers the changes in residential development and consumption patterns over the past 150 years.

The university was unable to find a buyer for the house when it issued a request for proposals in March 2010. However, the university's stated objective was "to see the house reused for residential or demonstration purposes," which the public exhibit succeeds in doing.

ICON Solar House continues to live up to its lofty name. In addition to placing fifth overall and first in the engineering contest at Solar Decathlon 2009, ICON Solar House was selected as one of the 2009 projects of the year by Finance and Commerce.