Innovative Student Project Utilizes Recycled Materials for Pavilion Construction
In an inspiring initiative, a group of students has successfully transformed recycled materials into a functional pavilion. The project, which was greenlit by the Morven Sustainability Lab, involved designing and constructing a trailhead pavilion during the latter part of the summer.
The entire project, from conceptualization to execution, was managed by the students themselves. Their hard work and ingenuity were showcased at an exhibition held at the Rotunda in August.
A significant part of the summer was dedicated to recycling efforts, where over 1,200 pipette boxes, amounting to more than 2,000 pounds of plastic, were shredded. This recycled plastic was then repurposed into sheets that formed the pavilion’s shingled roof.
Student Dolan expressed the gratification felt after the project’s presentation, stating, “It felt very rewarding.” The presentation sparked interest and inquiries regarding potential future projects.
This initiative is part of an ongoing educational program led by Bachman, who will be teaching a course for the fourth consecutive year that emphasizes design-build projects. In the previous fall, students constructed a pavilion of similar scale near the Morven Kitchen Garden entrance.
Bachman highlighted the program’s evolution, stating, “We’ve progressively scaled up from (small) object-scale projects in the first year to more furniture-scale the second year, and a trailhead pavilion in our third year.” Although both pavilions shared similar materials and sustainability goals, they were tailored to meet the specific criteria of their respective sites.
The construction process was a collaborative effort involving various University of Virginia teams, such as UVA Sawmilling, which repurposes wood for new building projects, Junk Labz, and the Anselmo Gianluca Canfora Fabrication Lab led by Melissa Goldsman at the School of Architecture.
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