U. of Colorado Students to Present Their Designs
Monday, April 20, 2009 at 10:08AM by Emily Schlickman 
Students survey the proposed site. Model of a new green housing design.
During the Fall of 2008 and Spring of 2009, graduate-level architecture students from the University of Colorado-Denver met with residents of Greensburg, Kansas to better understand the needs of the community and the devastation of the EF5 tornado that hit Greensburg almost 2 years ago. They spent the next 8 months researching the Kansas climate and the appropriate materials and building techniques for new “green” housing designs.
Their proposals mitigate severe climactic conditions through architecture: collecting rainwater, controlling sun and blocking the winds. Student proposals also explore construction methods such as: Straw Bale, Advanced Framing, Agriboard (compressed straw panels), Structural Concrete Insulated Panels (SCIP), and Warmboard (thermally broken concrete). Working with a team of Landscape Architecture students from CU and using their research on concepts of urban farming, the site also becomes an extension of the structure--feeding the residents and giving back to the public domain.
Led by Senior Instructor Rick Sommerfeld and Lecturer Rob Pyatt, the student proposals including models, marketing material and construction drawings will be on display at the Silo Eco-Home on May 2nd. Please stop by from 4pm-5pm to hear their presentations!
Reader Comments (1)
Keep up the good work Greensburg! Ya'll provide inspiration to those of us who feel that green building is the only way to go in the future. I hope to come through and check out the progress ya'll have made.
Brandy
Texas