Hsingming Fung leads an informal discussion on the Compact Hyper-Insulated Prototype (CHIP), the SCI-Arc/Caltech entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon competition.

They discuss the difference between CHIP and the other entries, stressing their desire to address the competition criteria without being constrained by conventional ideas of a house.

Wes Jones discusses design the process, stressing the long series of iterations and alternatives. Regarding the requirement to ship the house from Los Angeles to Washington, Brian Zentmyer discusses the decision not to design the house in modules, which had become a Solar Decathlon tradition.

Andrew Gong and Cole Hershkowitz comment on their design of control mechanisms and interactive features for CHIP's electrical systems. Dwayne Olyer comments on the relationship between the architects and the engineers in setting priorities during the course of the project.