gration of education and research programming. Several cohorts of Drexel students have explored ideas about environmental interventions in Drexel Smart House and received their first experience in the integration of research and new analytical methods to their studies. Previous DSH investigations have included an exploration of modular construction for a large classroom addition that received notice in the national architectural press. This new model of learning promotes leadership in interdisciplinary problem solving in the urban setting. In addition, the Drexel Smart House is the symbolic center of a new proposed set of programs, The Drexel Smart Initiatives Program (DSIP). The goals will be to encourage projects related to problem solving and research and to encourage students and faculty to create projects that are research driven and involve team-based solutions, taking advantage of university-wide resources. We hope to encourage more projects such as the lightweight green roof project mentioned above, projects that will tackle the problems of human use, the urban environment and energy use in inventive ways. The new learning structure will create undergraduate opportunities for multidisciplinary learning. The emphasis of DSIP is centered on solving technology and design problems through collaboration. While there is a great deal of excitement and potential in the kinds of tools designers use today, there is still much work to be done to produce a truly integrated design delivery system. The profession is on the cusp of a new era of design innovation with the introduction of environmental design software that holds great promise in the making of information based three dimensional computer models. The ways in which these tools change the design process will be partially determined by the ways students learn and grow into their roles as professionals. It is critical for students and professionals alike that these new tools and models are not ends in themselves but in the service of making a more humane, sustainable and equitable built environment. As educators, there is no doubt that we must understand the innovations and inter-workings of these new digital tools, however the ability to communicate directly, make informed decisions, understand and integrate different points of view, and to improvise in an imperfect world, are the hallmarks of a good, context | SU2013 | 22
responsible design citizen. In the past year, Simon Tickell led two classes of undergraduate students from different backgrounds on a new exploration that set the stage for an exploration of environmental software. In the fall/ winter quarter the class considered thermal performance, environmental comfort and the concept of developing an “energy budget� for the DSH. Lessons learned from this investigation could have real importance to the surrounding neighborhood. While previous explorations were focused primarily on theoretical constructs, the most recent student work dealt with the messy reality of a construction site, a budget and a schedule. As classes began, the university was in the
midst of an extended initial phase of restoration with the house which was focused on envelope stabilization including repairing water damage to the exterior masonry walls and replacing the slate roof along with installing new windows. Due to the cost of the extended repairs required, the finish of the interior of the house had to be postponed and was left as a bare shell, ready for the next phase of interior fit out work. This initial disappointment became an opportunity for the class to consider how to best optimize the completion of the enclosure as well as to strategize how to design the interior layout of the house to best support a reconfigurable, lab-like platform to test improvements relevant to old housing stock, something of real significance to the DSH committee members as well as the surrounding neighborhood. The class began with an overview of passive house principles and an introduction to the special challenges associated with the thermal up-