Perkins+Will Represents Architecture Industry as Sponsor of Solar Decathlon

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Solar Decathlon is an award-winning program that challenges 20 collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

As a second-time sponsor of the Solar Decathlon, Perkins+Will is honored to participate in an event that promotes the advancement of renewable energy solutions and helps to develop the sustainability leaders of the future. As an international architecture, interior design, planning + strategies, branded environments, and urban design firm, Perkins+Will has over 75 years of commitment to social and environmental responsibility in its work.

"Perkins+Will is a proud supporter of the Solar Decathlon," said Peter Busby, managing director of the Perkins+Will Vancouver office. "Witnessing the innovative ideas of students and hearing their strategies for the future of sustainability and solar energy efficiency is inspiring. Our team is looking forward to taking part in the wide range of sustainable design excellence this event inevitably attracts."

"The Solar Decathlon depends on the valuable support of our many sponsors," noted Richard King, director of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. "Our sponsors play an integral role in ensuring that the Solar Decathlon provides a rich learning experience for the student decathletes and that we effectively educate the public about the money-saving opportunities and environmental benefits presented by clean energy products and design solutions."

This year's Solar Decathlon will take place on the National Mall's West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. Open to the public free of charge from September 23 through October 2, 2011, the Solar Decathlon enables visitors to tour the houses, gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money today.

For additional information, visit www.solardecathlon.org.

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About Perkins+Will

Established in 1935, Perkins+Will (www.perkinswill.com) is an integrated design firm serving clients from offices in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Dubai, Dundas, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Research Triangle Park, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, DC. The firm practices architecture, interiors, branded environments, planning + strategies, preservation + adaptive reuse, and urban design for clients in the aviation + transit, corporate + commercial + civic, healthcare, higher education, K-12 education, science + technology and sports + recreation markets. Perkins+Will routinely ranks among the world's top design firms and has received hundreds of awards, including the prestigious American Institute of Architects' "Firm of the Year Award." Social responsibility has been a driving philosophy at Perkins+Will since the firm's beginnings in 1935. The firm has committed to the 1% Solution through Public Architecture, promising to donate time pro bono to non-profit organizations in need of design services. With more LEED® Accredited Professionals than any design firm in North America, Perkins+Will is recognized as one of the preeminent sustainable design firm in the country. Perkins+Will was the first multi-office company to commit to the 2030 Challenge, in which the firm has pledged that all of their projects be designed to carbon neutrality by the year 2030.

SOURCE Perkins+Will