A Project on Sheridan Road is a One-of-a-Kind Opportunity for Architecture Students

When New Trier Township High School Architecture teacher Josh Wood heard about the Peter and Robin Baugher’s project to develop an environmentally friendly home on their Sheridan Road lot, he offered the assistance of his class.

Intrigued by the possibilities, the Baughers met with Wood’s class as if they were clients, outlining their requirements in a meeting with the 32 sophomore, junior and senior students.

A panel of peers and design professionals will judge the designs later this year. In the meantime, Wood spoke to Make It Better about what the project means for his class.

How will the competition be different from a theoretical design competition?
Number one is the responsibility of answering to a client. The final design will have to be tweaked by a licensed architect or engineer, but the notion that their design could be actually built doesn’t come along very often.

Where are your students in the design process?
At this point, they’ve finished their preliminary sketches. Now they’re putting them on CAD software; they’re basically building the model of the house.

Why the emphasis on ‘green’ design?
Close to 60 percent of energy use comes from buildings, so we try to reduce the amount of energy a house needs during the design process.

How are you incorporating green design specifically?
We are following the LEED standards, which assess points based on green materials, energy efficiency and water efficiency. We have an initial goal of attaining a silver level LEED rating, so we’re using those standards as a guide to what materials we can use.

What other features will the home be designed with?
We’re trying to integrate universal design on the first floor, so that if somebody is restricted or limited in their mobility, they’re still able to function on the first floor.

How do your students benefit from this competition?
Doing the research and design for this particular project is pretty advanced. Even in college there aren’t many times when you get your hands on a real design-build project, so these kids are definitely getting a jumpstart.

For more on green architecture, check out these articles:
Green Dreaming
Going Green: Rebates Make It Pay to Remodel Now

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