Costa Rica: Design/Build Travel Studio

About this Travel Course

In the field the students, along with EHAVC University, will finalize a selected design from this Fall’s RISD Innovation Studio. They will build the classroom and its landscape at the La Flor Campus of EHAVC University.

Goal

To design and build a classroom prototype that exhibits sustainable building practices in the dry tropics.

Design Principles

• Use affordable materials and labor for construction.
• Develop methods for utilizing local resources and building practices.
• Implement replicable and understandable construction technology.
• Employ energy efficient and environmentally responsible strategies for locating the building on the site and for controlling the interior environment.

Ultimately, the classroom, with its inside/outside learning environments, will demonstrate how integrating curriculum, teaching, energy and hi-tech systems, landscape and space will contribute to a transformative learning experience.

Schedule

• Gather in Providence, travel to Costa Rica
• 4+ weeks working on the Design/Build Project with weekend excursions investigating sustainability in the dry tropics
• Return to Providence, summary presentation

Student + Faculty Stories

Read more about Costa Rica: Design/Build in RISD News: Eco-friendly Construction in Costa Rica