2023 Design Challenge Results
Design Challenge Division and Grand Winners were announced during the Solar Decathlon Competition Event in Golden, Colorado, April 20–23, 2023.
The students from 55 Finalist Teams represented 43 collegiate institutions during the 2023 Design Challenge. Teams competed in one of six divisions: New Housing, Retrofit Housing, Attached Housing, Multifamily Building, Office Building, or Education Building.
A detailed list of the winners is below. Congratulations to all the teams!
2023 DESIGN CHALLENGE GRAND WINNERS
- Residential Grand Winner, University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
- The team created a deep-energy retrofit for a three-story housing structure that aims to preserve the building’s historical character while meeting the local need for affordable, durable, and resilient housing.
- Commercial Grand Winner, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (New York City, New York)
- The team created an educational building design for the renovation and extension of the New York Harbor School that promotes zero energy retrofit principles and workforce development opportunities for the community.
2023 DESIGN CHALLENGE DIVISION WINNERS
New Housing Division
- 1st Place, University of Florida—Gainesville, Florida
- 2nd Place, Monash University—Clayton, Australia
- 3rd Place, Concordia University—Montreal, Quebec
Retrofit Housing Division
- 1st Place, Appalachian State University—Boone, North Carolina
- 2nd Place, Marywood University—Scranton, Pennsylvania
- 3rd Place, Howard University—Washington, D.C.
Attached Housing Division
- 1st Place, University of Minnesota Twin Cities—Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 2nd Place, The University of British Columbia Okanagan—Kelowna, British Columbia; Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops—British Columbia
- 3rd Place, The University of Arizona—Tucson, Arizona
Multifamily Building Division
- 1st Place, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University—Alexandria, Virginia
- 2nd Place, University of Minnesota Twin Cities—Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 3rd Place, Illinois Institute of Technology—Chicago, Illinois
Office Building Division
- 1st Place, Wentworth Institute of Technology—Boston, Massachusetts
- 2nd Place, University of Cincinnati—Cincinnati, Ohio
- 3rd Place, Ball State University—Muncie, Indiana
Education Building Division
- 1st Place, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art—New York City, New York
- 2nd Place, Ball State University—Muncie, Indiana
- 3rd Place, Northwestern University—Evanston, Illinois