Students enrolled in the Integrative Design Experience Laboratory (IDEXlab) at Appalachian State University have completed the mobiLANDING, a sheltered workspace located at the university’s Small Wind Research and Demonstration Site on Beech Mountain.
The mobiLANDING is a docking station for the MOBILab, the university’s energy-independent mobile classroom built in 2015. mobiLANDING provides a storage facility and covered space for workshops and trainings hosted at the Small Wind Research and Demonstration Site. The structure consists of a concrete foundation, locally sourced lumber for the decking and trusses, corrugated metal roofing and bifacial solar panels. The solar panels power the lighting for the structure and tie back into the electrical grid.
A small team of graduate students began the project in 2017 under the guidance of Jason Miller, associate professor in Appalachian’s Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment. The project culminated with the mobiLANDING’s grand opening on April 27.
During spring 2018, 15 undergraduate students, along with three graduate students, took the concept designed in 2017 and built the physical structure. Led by Miller, along with practitioner-in-residence Chelsea Helms and associate professor Dr. Jamie Russell, both faculty in the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, the group met their goal of establishing an interactive learning community that showcases sustainable building practices and facilitates research.
Originally published June 4, 2018. Written by Meghan McCandless.