DCP is national sustainability leader

October 27, 2009

Yesterday, Oct. 26, the College of Design, Construction and Planning (DCP) officially opened its interdisciplinary teaching/research facility, Citylab-Orlando. Located in downtown Orlando, the program will bring sustainable design training to urban challenges in central Florida. In so many ways, DCP’s professional programs and activities model multidisciplinary approaches to sustainability.

Another example is the international competition, Solar Decathlon Europe. A group of DCP faculty and 75 students is leading a multi-college team to design and build a full-scale house powered entirely by solar energy. The house, constructed and tested in Gainesville, will be deconstructed and shipped to Madrid, Spain, for the final construction and exhibition next May. This serves as an excellent hands-on learning experience for the students involved.

Staying at the global level, an interdisciplinary DCP faculty team will offer a master’s program in sustainable design in Singapore. The program will integrate distance education and on-site instruction. Along with the Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment launched last fall, DCP is supporting UF’s well-deserved reputation as a national leader in advancing sustainability.

Christopher Silver
Dean, College of Design, Construction and Planning