Public Resources Code section 25603.5

(a)

Pursuant to the duties of the commission described in subdivision (a) of Section 25401 and Section 25603, the commission shall conduct a statewide architectural design competition to select outstanding designs for new single-family and multifamily residential units which incorporate passive solar and other energy-conserving design features.
The purpose of the competition, to be known as the “State Solar Medallion Passive Design Competition”, is to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of passive solar design for residential construction, to speed its commercialization, and to promote its use by developers in housing for moderate-income families in the state. The competition shall be carried out with the assistance and cooperation of the Office of the State Architect.

(b)

The competition shall be conducted for each of the state’s six regional climate zones. Each climate zone shall have the following four categories of competition:

(1)

Single-family dwellings. The construction costs of these dwellings shall not exceed thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000) and the market price, inclusive of land, construction, permits, fees, overhead and profit shall not exceed fifty-five thousand dollars ($55,000); provided that, if the commission determines that, as of the date construction is completed, the cost of housing construction in this state has increased due to economic inflation since January 1, 1979, the commission may increase these sums by the amount of such inflation as indicated by the construction cost index.

(2)

Single-family dwellings. The construction costs of these dwellings shall not exceed fifty-five thousand dollars ($55,000) and the market price, inclusive of land, construction, permits, fees, overhead and profit shall not exceed eighty-five thousand dollars ($85,000); provided that, if the commission determines that, as of the date construction is completed, the cost of housing construction in this state has increased due to economic inflation since January 1, 1979, the commission may increase these sums by the amount of such inflation as indicated by the construction cost index.

(3)

Multifamily housing units with a market price or rental value comparable to paragraph (1) of this subdivision.

(4)

Multifamily housing units with a market price or rental value comparable to paragraph (2) of this subdivision.

(c)

In order to qualify for the competition, entrants shall be a team composed of at least one member from each of the following categories:

(1)

A building designer or architect.

(2)

A builder, developer, or contractor.

(d)

With submission of designs to the competition, all entrants shall agree to comply with the following provisions, if awarded the Solar Medallion or the first place prize in any category:

(1)

To build five models of the winning design for single-family home categories if the builder, developer, or contractor member of the winning team constructed more than 30 single-family detached units during the one-year period ending on the date of the award, or

(2)

To build three models of the winning design for single-family home categories if the builder, developer, or contractor member of the winning team constructed 30 or fewer single-family detached units during the one-year period ending on the date of the award, or

(3)

To build one model of the winning design for all multifamily categories.

(4)

To commence construction within 18 months of the announcement of awards.

(5)

To permit the commission to install monitoring equipment for measuring energy conservation performance of the structure on all models constructed in compliance with paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of this subdivision.

(6)

To permit the commission to document, exhibit, and publicize the constructed designs.
All models of winning designs shall be built on the site or sites described in the submission or on an alternate site or sites with comparable features.
Cash awards to authors of the winning designs may be made prior to commencement of the agreed upon construction.
All winning designs in the competition shall become the property of the state and may be published and exhibited by the state after completion of competition.

(e)

The judging panel for the competition shall consist of the following five jurors:

(1)

One representative of the Office of the State Architect.

(2)

One representative of the commission.

(3)

One certificated architect.

(4)

One representative of the state’s lending institutions.

(5)

One developer, builder, or contractor.
The nonagency members shall be appointed by the State Architect.
In recognition of the wide variation in construction costs statewide, and in order to ensure fair and equitable competition in all areas of the state, a cost index shall be used to determine different construction cost and market price requirements for each category of competition in the major metropolitan areas of the state. The construction cost and market price figures specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (b) shall be used as the upper limit values on which the index shall be based. Construction cost and market price figures reflecting the diversity in costs in different areas of the state shall be determined in relation to upper limit values specified in this section.
The cost index shall be prepared by the Office of the State Architect and shall be published in the competition program.
The evaluation shall take place in two stages, with an initial technical review by the commission staff. The staff shall submit to the judging panel a rigorous technical assessment of the anticipated energy conservation performance of all submissions. Final selection shall be made by the judging panel.
Designs submitted to the competition shall be judged on the extent to which they satisfy the following criteria:

(1)

Use of passive solar and other energy conserving design features.

(2)

Amount of energy savings achieved by the design.

(3)

Adaptability of the design to widespread use.

(f)

The commission shall be responsible for developing rules and procedures for the conduct of the competition and for the judging, which rules shall ensure anonymity of designs submitted prior to final awarding of prizes, shall ensure impartiality of the judging panel, and shall ensure uniform treatment of competitors.
In administering the competition, the commission shall accomplish the following tasks:

(1)

Preparation of a competition program, including climatological data for each of the six regional climate zones.

(2)

Distribution of competition information and ongoing publicity.

(3)

Development of rules and procedures for competitors and judges.

(4)

Preparation of a summary document for the competition, including a portfolio of winning designs and followup publicity.

(5)

Instrumentation of winning dwellings constructed in accordance with requirements of this section; instrumentation for measurement of energy conservation performance of the units and ongoing data collection shall be provided by the commission pursuant to Section 25607.
For purposes of administering the competition, the commission shall contract with the Office of the State Architect for materials and services that cannot be performed by its staff.

(g)

Cash awards to authors of the winning designs shall be made on the following basis:
Using the criteria in subdivision (e) of this section, the judging panel shall select, as follows:

(1)

The most outstanding design statewide selected from among the first place winners in either of two single-family categories in any of the six climate zones which shall receive the State Solar Medallion Award and five thousand dollars ($5,000) in addition to the cash award specified in paragraph (3) of this subdivision.

(2)

The most outstanding design statewide selected from among the first place winners in either of the two multifamily categories in any of the six climate zones which shall receive the State Solar Medallion Award and five thousand dollars ($5,000) in addition to the cash award specified in paragraph (3) of this subdivision.

(3)

The first place designs in each of the four competition categories within each of the six climate zones, which shall each receive a cash award of five thousand dollars ($5,000).

(4)

The second place designs in each of the four competition categories within each of the six climate zones, which shall each receive a cash award of two thousand dollars ($2,000).

Source: Section 25603.5, https://leginfo.­legislature.­ca.­gov/faces/codes_displaySection.­xhtml?lawCode=PRC§ionNum=25603.­5.­ (accessed Apr. 24, 2025).

Last Updated

Apr. 24, 2025

§ 25603.5’s source at ca​.gov