Which Major Corporation Will Buy UMD's Solar Decathlon-Winning Home?

WHAT:

	WaterShed House: SOLD! Click Image for Hi-Res.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Who has bought WaterShed? Where will it find a permanent home?

The identity of the buyer - a major corporation (it operates in the National Capital Region) will be revealed at an event Monday, Jan. 20.

WaterShed is the international-prize-winning solar house built by University of Maryland students, faculty and professional partners.

The buyer will be announced at a UMD victory celebration for the WaterShed team. Media coverage is welcome; the event is by invitation-only.

The purchase secures WaterShed's future, provides a permanent home and will make its innovative technology and design available to the public for educational purposes and research.

WaterShed will become a "living classroom" for teaching the public about sustainable energy and building practices, as well as a "living laboratory" where UMD researchers will continue to monitor the long-term performance of its innovative systems and design.

After its win at the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon last October, WaterShed was disassembled and moved from the National Mall to College Park awaiting a final home and buyer. WaterShed overcame fierce competition against 19 other collegiate teams from around the world, each challenged to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive.

Like all of the Decathlon entries, WaterShed runs solely on solar power, but is also constructed to harvest, recycle and reuse water. Unique design elements, such as "manufactured wetlands" that both protect and produce resources, set WaterShed apart in the competition.

WHO:

Representatives from the corporation purchasing WaterShed will participate, along with University officials, as the WaterShed team, mentors and supporters hold a victory celebration - the first campus-wide - since the first-place finish in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon last October.

WHEN:

Monday, January 30, 2012
Program will take place from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE:

Orem Alumni Hall, Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center
University of Maryland, College Park, 20742
Directions: http://www.riggs.umd.edu/map.html

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Maggie Haslam, communicator
UMD School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
202-258-8946
maggiehaslam6@gmail.com

Neil Tickner
University of Maryland Public Affairs
301-405-4622
ntickner@umd.edu