UNLV students design solar powered home for desert living meant to be a place of healing and respite for veterans suffering the adverse effects of wartime trauma; the home connects the resident to their environment through a carefully orchestrated procession of sensory experiences.

Having a panoramic view of the outdoors is pleasing on a biological level, according to Dak Kopec, associate professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It relates back to our desire to have “prospect refuge,” or the ability to see our surroundings from a single safe area.

For nearly a century, Reno took pride in being the Biggest Little City in the World. As a growth spurt brings in skyrocketing housing costs and a host of other challenges, however, some say it’s time for Reno to start thinking, well, big.

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the collegiate teams that will be competing in the Solar Decathlon Build Challenge. Student participants work during a two-year period to design and build complete, functional houses that are powered by renewable energy and demonstrate creative solutions to current issues in the industry. Winners will be selected in the summer of 2020 in Washington, D.C., as part of the 2020 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

UNLV was one of just 11 universities worldwide chosen to compete in the 2020 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. The international contest challenges university student teams to design, build and operate solar-powered homes that are energy-efficient, affordable and attractive.

It was anything but a straight line that brought the new head of UNLV’s School of Architecture to campus.

Last month, second-year students at the UNLV School of Architecture gathered to present a beguiling exhibit of their work for the semester. Demonstrative Architecture: Apotheosis of the Unfamiliar is not an exhibit of buildings with a program, but something far more ethereal. Students explored a variety of forms and ideas in wood, cardboard, and glycerine. They then tried to translate these forms into structures that suggested not a building program but an emotional state.

Las Vegas, it’s fair to say, is not known for its architectural splendor.

“Property Brothers,” “Flip or Flop,” “Love It or List It” — the insatiable appetite for reality television home makeover shows continues. With their fresh ideas, incredible transformations and beat-the-clock plotlines, these shows are a driver for the home remodeling industry. Every year, millions of viewers, inspired by what they see on TV, move forward with their own projects.

At 5 a.m. Sunday, UNLV sophomore Roxayna Pais and her make-a-thon team huddled inside the school of architecture, piecing together bits of foam boards and typing the finishing touches to lines of code.

Experts weigh in on the value of proper design in a healthy home and apply it to the BUILDER KB Home ProjeKt.

Flowers are often reserved for special occasions and the part of our spending budget that we label frivolous. But what if you were told that flowers can actually bring health benefits? Would you purchase them more often? As more and more people move into cities away from nature, it could be important to invite more plants indoors and enjoy those fresh cut flowers.