Wash UWashington University School of Architecture

EcoBlock has a history of collaboration with the School of Architecture particularly focusing on Design Studio Projects.

For Spring 2016 Semester, Professor Don Koster’s Community Design Studio focused on an application of the EcoBlock concept to a specific block in Old North St. Louis working closely with Old North St. Louis Restoration Inc.   The EcoBlock board interacted with the class and participated in a community charrette at the beginning of the project and a Public Open House at the conclusion of the project.

EcoBlock is working with the School of Architecture to develop a Spring 2019 Design Studio using the new Model EcoCode as the basis of design.

Washington University Sustainability Exchange

The Sustainability Exchange, founded in 2014 by Bill Lowry and Liz Kramer, brings together students from across the academic spectrum to focus on and seek solutions to real-world issues and projects. Potential projects are proposed during registration for the upcoming semester and students self-select depending on their interest and expertise.

The course itself has two parts, the first part provides students with critical creative problem-solving tools, collaboration models and sustainability philosophy; the second part has the students apply these tools to typically 5 focused real-world projects or barriers.

Hanna Roth, Adjunct Professor of Architecture was the faculty lead with an interdisciplinary group of students looking Sustainable Water Systems in the context of the EcoBlock working closely with representatives of the EcoBlock board. The class was completed in the Fall 2017 semester. In the Spring 2018 Semester the Sustainability Exchange is focusing two groups on EcoBlock. One looking at the Social Structure and Issues and the other looking at Site Selection criteria within an urban area using St. Louis as a case study area.

The Sustainability Exchange will continue to work with EcoBlock on future focus areas.