Students Discuss Green Building Designs

Students Discuss Green Building Designs
A multitude of complex designs, drawings and diagrams all detailing the future possibilities of the University of Wisconsin's first "green building" surrounded Tripp Commons Friday afternoon.

The exhibition at Memorial Union showcased Milwaukee and Madison students' proposals for the construction and design of a "green building," an environmentally efficient building, that will house environmental programs such as the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Department of Landscape Architecture and Land Information, and Computer Graphics Facility.

"I was very excited about the work the students did to find what it means to be a green building," Mark Nelson, UW Department of Environment, Textiles and Design professor, said.

UW-Madison professors Nelson and Jim LaGro and UW-Milwaukee professor Jim Wasley began by introducing the project and summarizing its main objectives. Wasley, an architecture professor, stressed the "opportunities for students to think as a group" and the chance to create "a path-breaking building."

A number of students attended and were pleased with the public presentation. UW environment and behavior studies graduate student Jennifer Elsen said she was especially interested in the aspect of including the natural environment in design. She sai