The brief called for small college-style centre designed with sustainability in mind, aiming to achieve a net zero energy balance.

The proposal, redesigned now as a self-teaching exercise, works with two similar buildings, each with its appropriate scale. The smaller contains offices, a counseling centre and a cafeteria. The larger houses classrooms and workshops, as well as an open hall for exhibitions and a mixed-use auditorium/ballroom.

An active outer membrane creates a shaded, naturally-cooled space, inside which rooms are stacked in blocks. Photovoltaic panels are built into the roof, and water-heating tubes act as shades for the upper floors. Air conditioning is assured by a mixed earth-heat-exchange and solar updraft chimney system, assisted by a mechanical system for the inner spaces.