2021 Challenge: Sustainability

Next Gen High School has recently acquired considerable funding to rebuild their campus in Houghton, MI. Because of the magnitude of this funding, the committee has decided that Next Gen High will be a certified Green Building according to the LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, rating system. They have asked you, a team of engineers, to aid in their mission of designing a school that will consider green solutions in the following categories:

• Water Efficiency

• Energy Efficiency

• Materials & Resources

• Waste Minimization

• Student Involvement

The committee is willing to consider all proposals and request that you provide them with any ideas for green and sustainable opportunities you have whether conventional (I.E. solar panels/wind turbines) or unconventional and creative, though still realistic technology.

Location: Houghton County, one of the few locations in the U.S. that truly experiences the extreme of all four seasons in the year. The summers are hot and sunny, the fall is overcast and windy; winter can be bitterly cold with hundreds of inches of snow accumulating. The spring has sunshine but also frequent rain.

This competition will require you to consider the challenges that come with creating green and sustainable infrastructure. One solution will not likely be enough to meet the school’s needs in any specific category.

Your team (max size 4 members) will present your proposals to a panel of judges via Zoom. Presentations should include the various solutions you would implement in the school’s design, as well as an explanation of how these solutions would work to reduce waste or improve the school. All team members should actively participate in the presentation.