Las Vegas is the fastest-warming city in the country because of a changing climate and a heat island that grows with the community.

Temperatures have risen in almost every city in the United States since 1970, but no metropolitan area is heating up as quickly as Las Vegas.

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.

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.