Myers-Lawson School of Construction
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- Fifty Shades of Building ScienceReichard, Georg (Virginia Tech, 2020)The role of building science education examined in the context of past DOE student competitions. A presentation part of panel discussion at the 5th RBDCC. This paper presents findings from a meta analysis of DOE Student Competition Guidelines and competition winners in terms of Building Science keywords and requirements. The Race to Zero was an annual competition from 2014-2018, which got merged into the broader DOE Solar Decathlon competition framework in 2019. In its outset, this design competition was created to engage and challenge students and faculty to apply sound building science principles to create cost-effective, market-ready designs. While the standard, quality, and extent of winning submission has dramatically increased over the years, some concerns have emerged that the teams have lost sight of the original goals and that building science criteria may not have been met by a majority of submissions anymore. This paper will examine and synthesize past competition guidelines as they relate to building science topics and assess available project submissions of winning teams on those criteria only. The goal of this paper is to facilitate a discussion on how building science criteria could be sharpened and possibly expanded in future competition guidelines.
- Service Learning on the River: Educating for Sustainability in the NRVPearce, Annie R. (New River Symposium, 2017-05-16)The New River is influenced by a variety of pressures ranging from economic development and attendant environmental impacts, to changing community expectations and choices, to infrastructure investments by local government. Coordinating local action to improve sustainability of the river is complex, with many stakeholders, conflicting priorities, and systems-level impacts that are poorly understood. Local universities can contribute to this challenge through community-based service learning (CBSL). CBSL involves exposing students to structured, real-life problem solving opportunities working with community stakeholders to develop and apply solutions in the real world. This presentation describes a series of CBSL experiences employed in graduate and undergraduate sustainable building and infrastructure courses at Virginia Tech over a three-year period. Experiences included facility assessment and designing and building a new feline housing area at the Radford Animal Shelter along the river, followed by a comprehensive Sustainable Riverfront Development Plan for the City of Radford including the entire riverfront. Current efforts involve designing and building new environmentally friendly access points for recreational access to the river in Bisset Park. Partners include the City of Radford, Radford University, local businesses, and others. The presentation includes outcomes, impacts, and lessons learned for others interested in this approach.