Visitors were queuing in the full sun to get into the solar houses. This is the shade I proposed, and it waters the landscaping while it works.
About sixty engineering and architecture students worked together for two years to design and build a solar house for the Solar Decathlon, a national competition. I was there for the first year, which was mostly planning and brainstorming.
One idea I put forward was an entry arcade: something to give people shade and something to look at while they waited. It is a stepped fountain that aerates collected rainwater on its way to the landscaping — so the thing that makes the queue bearable is also part of the water system rather than decoration bolted on beside it.
University of Maryland, College Park · group project · ink on paper · 2004