We Have Met the Future and It Is Green - Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering - page 306

existing structure, (3) any improvements or changes that the group would make to
this solution, and, (4) the benefits of their suggested improvement for the system.
Students are encouraged to visit the site to make observations and to interview
users of the building to gain from their perspective.
Deliverables : A 10- to 15-minute class presentation explaining findings and rec-
ommendations.
Studio III: Innovation
Objectives : Students are required to use their in-depth understanding of one topic
in sustainability, combined with their broad understanding of general issues in
sustainability as they relate to a single building, to create an innovative and
sustainable development.
Requirements : This development can be a redesign or design improvement, a
retrofit, or an entirely new device. Students ultimately complete this portion of
the project individually, but are encouraged to collaborate with their classmates in
the process of developing their innovation. If their design is exceedingly complex,
they may be allowed to work in teams. They must demonstrate a clear grasp of the
problem that their innovation addresses, and identify and quantify or characterize
the improvements made with their innovation. Students are also required to
justify why it would be beneficial to use this device or design compared to
current standards.
Deliverables : A 5- to 7-minute individual presentation and visual aids showing
the development of the innovation using model prototypes, drawings, or other
communication tools necessary to describe the innovation.
The interactive/discovery pedagogical style has proven effective in achieving
the three objectives of building awareness of issues, understanding principles, and
applying knowledge. An exercise that has proven to be successful at facilitating this
process of discovery for students is built around the U.S. Green Building Council's
LEED program. Students are given a three-part assignment that is initiated by the
instructor with an overview of five primary categories: sustainable sites, water,
energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environment. Studio
I of the assignment requires that students form groups and conduct research on
one of the five topics and provide classmates with an overview that addresses the
benefits of current design and engineering strategies as well as an introduction
to emerging innovations. In addition to the research, students are required to
examine the scientific underpinnings of their subject. For example, the sustainable
sites group would not only address techniques for reducing stormwater runoff