Lights, Camera... Action!

Yep! We are preparing another video, making it the third that we are currently working on.

This time we are filming a "B&W House Video Presentation." In this video, we will introduce you to our big bosses from the University and to members of the Spanish government, and all the members of TeamSPAIN will introduce you to the features of The B&W House. The goal is to make this video be something that we can show on the Internet, on TV, and at the Mall in Washington, too!

We have just finished writing the script, and we will start filming tomorrow. Some of our team members are feeling a little nervous about getting in front of the camera, but they are brave people and we are confident they will do a good job ;-)

In the meantime, there is a conference being held at the Ritz Hotel in Madrid, at which the Vice-Chancellor of our University will be introducing The Solar Decathlon competition. A group of decathletes will also be visiting the construction site of our House pretty much every day, in order to make sure that everything is running smoothly there.

Lots of action is happening here… not bad at all!

Newsletter Issue Number 4

Hello Everyone!

We have just released our Fourth Newsletter, filled with articles about SIMA, our presentation in Rivas, information about our sponsors, a brand new comic strip, and much more! We are already working on the next issue, but you can enjoy this one in the meantime.

TeamSPAIN

A luxurious Made in Spain dinner with the masterful touch of Chef José Andrés.

You are cordially invited to dine with two Decathletes from our team on the 9th and 12th of October, and to participate in the Home Entertainment portion of the Solar Decathlon 2009 competition. TeamSPAIN will be serving a very special, “finger-licking good” dinner in the Black&White House. From day one, we have wanted to organize something unique and surprising for this particular evening. This year, we are honoured to have chef José Andrés as our official patron and culinary advisor working with TeamSpain..

José is a world-renowned chef who is known as the “unofficial Spanish ambassador” to the United States. His business, the THINKfoodGROUP, operates some of the most popular restaurants in Washington, D.C.; the Jaleo restaurant was the first to introduce “tapas”-style dining to the U.S. José Andrés also supervises the specialties at Café Atlántico, which serves Latin American inspired cuisine, Zaytinya, which serves a fusion of Greek and Turkish food, Oyamel, serving traditional Mexican foods, and the minibar by josé andrés, which serves the chef’s specialties in an intimate setting.

Here in Spain, he is known as the host of the TVE program Let’s Cook. In the U.S., he is the host and producer of José Made in Spain, a 26-episode PBS television series that focuses on the food and culture of Spain. Throughout his expansive career, he has received numerous awards and has appeared in various media outlets.

What’s more, we’ve got the invaluable support of Rubén García, José Andrés’ right-hand man. Rubén provides menu suggestions, quality control, and works with promotions and events.

The menu that José has created for us will combine traditional Spanish culinary art with the innovation of the nouvelle cuisine. It will hint at typical American cuisine and also the unique tastes of chef Ferrán Adriá, who was José’s mentor. We are certain that the food will please even the most discerning of palates, and that you will find the evening most enjoyable. We’ve designed this special menu for you, our future dinner party guests, so that you may get a sneak peek at the evening’s offerings and learn about the nutritional information and ingredients of the dishes you will soon enjoy.

And what of the recipes? For now, we’re keeping those a secret, but we can assure you it's going to be something unforgettable for every one!

Comic Strip

Who said Decathletes don't have a sense of humor! Check out this week's comic strip:

If you want to see all of our comic strips and find more information related to the TeamSPAIN B&W House project, subscribe to our Newsletter at: http://www.solardecathlon.upm.es/

Latest TeamSPAIN meeting

Hello there!

We've just had a really important meeting concerning safety procedures and contest strategies. The conclusions that were reached at this meeting are totally confidential, so we've had to modify the image to preserve the confidentiality of the meeting.

By the way: these meetings are now taking place twice a week! We've pumped up security in case you were thinking of sending in your spies :)

TeamSPAIN Goes for the Oscar

Hi Everyone,

We have just finished the storyboard for our "House Tour Video." Some of us will be acting, others directing and producing, so this will be a fun experience for us. It'll also give us a bit of a break from the measurements, deliveries, and finishing touches that we've been putting on The B&W House.

We've got very refined cinematographic tastes, so we're very picky about who we will allow to direct our video, though here's two candidates who may be up for the job:



Yeah, we wish...

More from us soon!

TeamSPAIN

TeamSPAIN Speaks English

Today we implemented a new rule at TeamSPAIN. Everyone is speaking English from July 1st. Coincidentally, today is the first of July and we Spaniards are warming up for our participation at the competition in Washington by forgetting our mother tongue.



I'm sure you're aware of how much fun we're having with this initiative :-) And no, we are not uploading any MP3's of the experience, though we might be persuaded to prepare a video...

TeamSPAIN