Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, UNLV

This building, which contains classrooms, auditorium, and offices, doubles as an outdoor gathering space on campus. To suit these dual purposes, Atelier Ten helped the architects compose the daylit building wings surrounding a shaded, comfortable central courtyard. Atelier Ten evaluated the hours when the courtyard would be shaded by various shading options. The result is a 139 kW photovoltaic canopy that takes advantage of the plentiful year-round solar energy, making the courtyard comfortable while also generating 12.6% of the building’s electricity.

In the building itself, the narrow floor plan allows daylight to penetrate deep into interior spaces while external shading prevents excessive solar heat gain. Atelier Ten used iterative energy modeling to test the various fa