Green Architect Helps Kids See the Light
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY 
on 10.23.07
One of the challenges here at Discovery's Young Scientist Challenge is for kids to create a structure making the most efficient use of lighting possible. That means balancing the need for natural light in a building while mitigating the amount of heat entering along with it on an average summer day.
To do it, kids are teaming up with green architect Craig Rhodes, who specializes in creating green structures across the country. As he points out, "When 25% of the energy usage in America goes towards lighting buildings during daylight hours, it's clear we can make a dent in our energy use through a greener blueprint."
From what I saw, these whiz kids seemed to be taking the challenge to heart. Working hard to create unique, creative structures to fit a specific location on either December or June 21st. That enabled them to break it down to a bite-sized task, and one group even figured out on their own that the optimal usage was to create a building with windows that only faced North, eschewing the potential for vistas presenting themselves from the East, West, and South.
Cool stuff...
See also: The E-Car: A Hit With Kids of All Ages , What Does a Volcano, a Paintball, and Your Bologna Sandwich Have in Common?
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I think this is great. All kids at school should get a basic course in architecture, with a strong emphasis on green design. How can adults make good choices about the homes they buy if they have never learned anything about good house design?