9 Green Architecture Student Projects That Make the Grade

The start of the school year is just around the corner, and the next generation of architecture students have a lot more to be aware of than their professors did when they went to school. Fortunately, we've seen lots of stunning student-built projects that point to a brilliant future for <a href="http://inhabitat.com/architecture/">sustainable architecture</a>. These design-build projects <a href="http://inhabitat.com/recycled-materials/">reuse materials</a> to incredible effect, press the boundaries of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-power/">energy</a> efficiency, and beautifully combine form with function to create built environments that are truly green -- read on for 9 of our favorite architecture school projects that really make the grade!

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/07/09/be-palett%C3%B8-a-pavilion-of-pallets-provide-pupils-a-place-to-relax/">Be Palettø! by the Aarhus School of Architecture</a></h3> <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/07/09/be-palett%C3%B8-a-pavilion-of-pallets-provide-pupils-a-place-to-relax/">Be Palettø!</a> is an experiment in architecture for public spaces created by a group of eleven students at the <a href="http://en.aarch.dk/index.html">Aarhus School of Architecture</a> in Denmark. They took 420 humble shipping pallets and built a pavilion in the middle of campus to spend a warm summer day between classes in. The structural installation provides shade as well as seating.

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/16/boxel-pavilion-a-brilliant-use-of-beer-boxes/">Boxel Pavilion by the University of Applied Sciences in Detmold</a></h3> <a rel="attachment wp-att-153625" href="http://inhabitat.com/?attachment_id=153625"></a>Students from the <a href="http://www.detmolderschule.de" target="_blank">University of Applied Sciences in Detmold</a>, Germany recently developed and built this extraordinary <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/16/boxel-pavilion-a-brilliant-use-of-beer-boxes/">Boxel pavilion</a> out of <strong>2,000</strong> beer crates. The temporary freestanding structure was erected on campus to provide the coolest music venue around.

The students used computer modeling to first establish load bearing and positioning of structure, which was built from donated used beer boxes. They bolted the entire piece together and used concrete-filled boxes to anchor the whole project down. The result is a breathtaking design with a light and uplifting visual aesthetic.

<h3><a href="http://www.evolo.us/architecture/parade-installation-explores-nonlinear-public-spacial-design/">Parade by the London University of Arts</a></h3> Profiled on <a href="http://www.evolo.us/">eVolo</a>, this <a href="http://www.evolo.us/architecture/parade-installation-explores-nonlinear-public-spacial-design/">Parade</a> installation was created by a public arts group based at the <a href="http://www.arts.ac.uk/">University of the Arts</a>, London. They used 4,200 milk crates to develop a new architectural space right in the middle of campus.

As students began the assembly process, they were encouraged to add to the design layout by manipulating space and adding “furniture” or human-scale seating and platforms designed into the overall structure. The heady exercise was all about creating spontaneous spaces from a designed core.

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/16/two-striking-urban-farm-buildings-made-from-salvaged-materials/">Shipping Pallet Building by the University of Colorado, Denver</a></h3> Students in the <a href="http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/ArchitecturePlanning/ExplorePrograms/SpecialPrograms/Certificates/DesignBuild/Pages/CertificateinDesignBuild.aspx">design build program</a> at the University of Colorado, Denver built <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/16/two-striking-urban-farm-buildings-made-from-salvaged-materials/">two tremendous projects</a> to enhance a local farm's operations while making a definitive statement about sustainable design. Reuse was the project's core lesson, and this building made of pallets is the beautiful result. Placed on a working farm near downtown Denver, the building will host classes and a farmers market, and will offer place to relax during a hard day's labor.

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/16/two-striking-urban-farm-buildings-made-from-salvaged-materials/">Goat Milking Shed by the University of Colorado, Denver</a></h3> The design build team also put together <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/16/two-striking-urban-farm-buildings-made-from-salvaged-materials/">this amazing structure</a> which is, of all things, a goat milking shed -- but it is so much more. The built-in seating make it a place for human habitation too, and it rises from a core of gabion boxes filled with reused concrete tailings.

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/06/11/prefab-bar-made-from-tubs-lights-up-the-night/">Temporary Bar by the Oporto School of Architecture</a></h3> This <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/06/11/prefab-bar-made-from-tubs-lights-up-the-night/">temporary structure</a> was the winning design for the annual<strong> </strong><a href="http://www.aefa-utl.pt/">Oporto School of Architecture’s</a> bar design competition in Portugal. The design is based on a mass produced Ikea tub and is illuminated by LED lights to create the perfect party atmosphere.

The tubs are made from the easy-to-recycle, low-toxic plastic No. 5 and can be reused for domestic jobs until the end of their lifecycle. The bar is a bright example of what students can do with easily-sourced materials.

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/09/corrugated-fiberboard-house-make-great-use-of-waste-material/">Recycled Cardboard Building by Auburn University</a></h3> A small team of students at <a href="http://cadc.auburn.edu/rural-studio/Default.aspx?path=Gallery/Projects/2001/cardboardpod/">Auburn University</a> sought to prove a waste material’s viability as a construction product by creating a functional <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/09/corrugated-fiberboard-house-make-great-use-of-waste-material/">small building</a> out of waxed corrugated cardboard bails. Their success paves the way for experimenting with common materials in new ways.

The small building is being used for student housing. The waste material performs exceptionally well in this application -- the bails have a tremendous r-value and thermal mass.

<h3><a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/01/29/curvaceous-solar-fablab-house-set-to-rock-european-solar-decathlon/" target="_blank">FabLab House by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia</a></h3> The <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/01/29/curvaceous-solar-fablab-house-set-to-rock-european-solar-decathlon/" target="_blank">FabLab House</a>, a solar panel-covered passive building designed by a team from the <a href="http://www.iaac.net/">Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia</a>, is perhaps the funkiest house we covered for the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-decathlon/">2010 Solar Decathlon</a>. This three-legged house is clad in solar panels and is chock full of tricks to keep it cool during the heated competition.

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/06/28/virginia-techs-lumenhaus-wins-the-2010-europe-solar-decathlon/">Lumenhaus by Virginia Tech University</a></h3> The champion of the 2010 Solar Decathlon was the stunning <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/06/28/virginia-techs-lumenhaus-wins-the-2010-europe-solar-decathlon/">Lumenhaus</a> designed by students of <a href="http://www.vt.edu/">Virginia Tech University</a>. They just squeezed past the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/06/21/germany-unveils-super-efficient-ikaros-solar-decathlon-house/" target="_blank">IKAROS House</a> by the <a href="http://www.fh-rosenheim.de/">University of Applied Sciences</a> in Rosenheim, Germany with a design that adapts precisely to the owner’s needs and the current weather conditions. The home pushes the limits of sustainable design and is an incredible vision of the future of sustainable building.