Join us for a Tour of the Alley House!
We are excited to invite you to tour the Solar Decathlon Build Challenge competition project, Alley House, a sustainable and innovative home designed by a team of students from the College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State.
The Solar Decathlon Alley House is a student-led project showcasing a sustainable net-zero energy home that incorporates features such as solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, rainwater harvesting, and much more. The house is designed to be beautiful, comfortable, and environmentally responsible, providing a glimpse into the future of sustainable living.
We would love for you to join us for a tour of the Alley House and learn more about our team’s vision and the features of this unique home. You’ll have the opportunity to see firsthand how we’ve integrated sustainable practices into every aspect of the design and construction.
Join us for a tour of the Alley House!
201 N. Temple Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana
About the Solar Decathlon Competition
The Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon Competitions gives student teams the option to participate in either the Design Challenge, a one- to two-semester, design-only competition, or the Build Challenge, a 2-year project where qualifying teams design and build houses that are displayed and judged in their local communities sponsored by the US Department of Energy (USDOE). The competition challenges student teams to design net-zero energy homes that generate at least as much energy onsite as it consumes on an annual basis using sustainable building techniques and renewable energy technologies.
Solar Decathlon leverages the work of students and universities to inspire homebuyers and the building industry to pursue high-performance, healthy, and affordable housing solutions, and it provides students with opportunities for real-world, hands-on learning in preparation for sustainability-related careers in design and construction.
The College of Architecture and Planning has an 8-year history of design and construction experience with the Solar Decathlon program. Beginning in 2013, the college collaborated with the University of Louisville on a Build Challenge house. From 2017 to Present the colleges’ multidisciplinary student-led teams have engaged in 25 Solar Decathlon Competitions.
2023 Build Challenge – “Alley House”
Over the past five semesters, CAP’s interdisciplinary team of approximately 100 undergraduate/graduate students have been collaborating with residents and community partner Englewood Community Development Corporation (ECDC) in the Near East-side neighborhoods of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Gratus Development of Indianapolis. Gratus is the developer for the Englewood Homes’ 40-unit affordable housing development of 20 two-family homes. The Alley House will be two units within the project. The Alley House Duplex aims to:
- Restore residential neighborhoods with prototypes for vacant urban lot infill housing.
- Provide an affordable, two-family housing unit integrated into a walkable community.
- Create a two-family (duplex) housing typology that is high performance and a net positive energy building.
Ball State University College of Architecture & Planning
The nationally recognized and highly ranked Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning is built upon a fundamental belief in educating students through experiential learning that connects education with real world situations. CAP programs build student awareness of how the design and construction professions make positive change in our communities, while developing each student’s abilities and confidence for long-term professional success, and leadership.
Located in Muncie, Indiana, at Ball State University, the R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) is comprised of four departments:
- Architecture
- Landscape Architecture
- Urban Planning
- Construction Management & Interior Design