The Elizabeth River is hardly nature at its most pristine, yet it is fairly representative of the environment as most people encounter it. Dividing Norfolk and Portsmouth, this estuary of the Chesapeake Bay is lined with factories and dotted with derelict ships.

That's why placing the Learning Barge in the Elizabeth River makes so much sense. This floating field station will give schoolchildren a better understanding of natural processes that shape this landscape, the steps that can be taken to restore it and the contributions they can make to a healthy environment. It is being designed and built by U.Va. architecture and engineering students in collaboration with the nonprofit Elizabeth River Project.

The barge will rely on alternative energy sources for power and heat. Farhad Omar (EE '07) designed an electrical system that relies on photovoltaic cells and a windmill to generate power, while Hy Martin (Engr Sci '08) created a heating system based on evacuated-tube solar hot water panels. In both cases, the two volunteers incorporated a monitoring and display system into their designs. “It's vital that schoolchildren make a direct connection between the wind and weather, and the electricity and heat we're producing,” Omar says.

For both students, research was an essential first step. They used meteorological data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop worst-case scenarios, they mastered relevant sections of the Coast Guard code, and they evaluated alternative energy sources on the basis of their efficiency, durability and cost. Equally critical were the discussions they had with other stakeholders — teachers, architects and environmental groups. “To create a successful design, you have to include perspectives outside engineering,” Martin says.

Both students believe there is a lot at stake. “We are trying to show that renewable energy is feasible,” Martin says, “so this has got to work.” They will find out soon. The barge is scheduled to launch in August 2008. (For more details, visit www.arch.virginia.edu/learningbarge/.)