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Name: Gracelyn Attablayo
Year participated in Solar Decathlon : 2020
University team : Illinois Institute of Technology
Organization/ employer: Socotec Inc.
Role: Building Envelope Inspector
Name: Jeremy Blum
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2009 Solar Decathlon
University Team: Cornell University Silo House Team
Current Employer: Shaper - https://shapertools.com
Current Role: Senior Vice-President of Engineering and Principal Electrical Engineer
Name: Andrea Lin
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2021
University team: Northwestern University
Current organization / employer: Kipnis Architecture + Planning
Current role: Architectural Intern
How did participation in the Solar Decathlon affect the trajectory of your career?
My experience in Solar Decathlon brought me the confidence in changing my career path towards one that interests me. In my third year of university, I was exploring architecture classes and began learning about the design process and high-performance buildings. However, most of the work for these classes was done as individuals so the scope of work was focused mostly on the architectural function and aesthetic. Solar Decathlon exposed me to the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of sustainable design, which has helped me adapt my experiences to my interests.
Name: Nupoor Kansara
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2020
University team: Illinois Institute of Technology
Current organization / employer: Baumann Consulting
Current role: Energy and commissioning engineer
She learned a lot in the 2017 Design Challenge, and now she helps design condos in Brazil. Hear more about Louisy Spak's experience in our continuing series.
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Name: Louisy Spak
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2017 Design Challenge (formerly Race to Zero)
University team: Sobrado Solar - Universidade Federal do Paraná
Current organization / employer: Multipla Arquitetura, Nova Arquitetura
Current role: Architect, owner and BIM specialist
A lot of hard work goes into putting up a large commercial building, as Heather Greene has learned! In this edition of #SDLivingtheDream, we hear about Heather's path from the 2015 Solar Decathlon to a rewarding career as a project engineer.
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Name: Heather Greene
Year participated: 2015
University team: Casa Del Sol (Orange County)
Current organization/employer: Hensel Phelps
Current role: Project Engineer
For this edition of #SDLivingtheDream we learn about Zach Berzolla, a 2018 Middlebury College team alumnus. He shares with us the work he is doing at MIT, along with key concepts that he has learned for successful building design, from Solar Decathlon. How about that for a doer designer!
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Name: Zach Berzolla
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2018 Design Challenge
University team: Middlebury College
Current organization / employer: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sustainable Design Lab
This month in our #SDLivingtheDream series, you'll meet Brett Horin, who competed with Illinois Tech in the 2018 Design Challenge and who has gone on to work in energy modeling in the architecture industry, fueled by his experience in the Solar Decathlon.
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Name: Brett Horin
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2018
University team: Illinois Institute of Technology
Current organization / employer: Lamar Johnson Collaborative/Clayco
Current role: Energy Modeler
In this edition of our #SDLivingtheDream series, we introduce you to David Gavin, a Team UMD Solar Decathlon alumnus who focuses on sustainable design in his everyday work. Read on to find out how David is using his building-design skills to help domestic violence victims.
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Name: David Gavin
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2011
University team: University of Maryland
Current organization/employer: Quinn Evans Architects
Current role: Architect / Associate / Sustainability Leadership Team
Sol completed his BASc (Applied Science) at the University of Waterloo in Ontario and his MS at the Georgia Institute of Technology; he is currently pursuing (part-time) his MBA at the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.In the latest edition of our #SDLivingtheDream series, we introduce Sol Haroon. An alumnus of the 2018 Design Challenge, Sol pushes boundaries in the renewable energy and building design projects he leads, or contributes to as an engineer. Read on to find out more about Sol’s role in creating the largest Living Building in the Southeast!
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Name: Sol Haroon
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2018 Design Challenge
University team: Georgia Institute of Technology
Current organization / employer: United Renewables, also pursuing an MBA at Georgia Institute of Technology
Current role: Lead Engineer/Consulting Instructor
