CAP students win big at environmental event

By the College of Architecture and Planning

Students in the Advanced Green Building Studio taught by Fred Andreas, non-tenure track assistant professor of architecture, were awarded first, second, fourth and fifth places in the Colorado Chapter of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Natural Talent Design Competition. Hosted by Emerging Green Builders, the competition provided students and young professionals with an applied learning experience in the principles of integrated design, sustainability, innovation and social consciousness. The team received $1,000 and will compete in Denver in November for a national award at Greenbuild, the USGBC’s annual Green Building Conference and Expo.

The challenge was to design LEED Platinum buildings for an actual client, the Sustainable Settings Whole Systems Learning Center at historic Thompson Creek Ranch near Carbondale. Sustainable Settings is a nonprofit organization in the intermountain West establishing an experiential learning environment for the cultivation of a sustainable future.  

The Studio was the first multidisciplinary architectural studio including both architecture and landscape architecture students.  Due to the amount of community outreach and interaction, this was an AmeriCorps project. The students broke into four design groups of three to four students.  Each group designed one of four general building groups for the Sustainable Settings Campus: Public Building (which took first place); Landscape Design (second place); Art Buildings (fourth place); and Education Buildings (fifth place). Everyone in the studio placed in the competition.

 Congratulations to the following students: Public Building: Michael Florio, Melissa Mabe, Elicia Ratajczyk, Gary Taipalus; Landscape Design: Jesse Clark, Pamela Cornelisse, Patricia Taylor;   Art Buildings: Devendra Amare, Timothy Hutchison, Max Reiner, Zach Taylor; Education Buildings: Chris Vandall, Charles Vowels, Jill Vowels.