In Student ‘Shark Tank’ Competition, Creativity is in the Water

With its tree-lined sidewalks, carpet-like quads and manicured flowerbeds, the archetypical college campus isn’t thirsty for scenery. But its scenery is thirsty all the time, gulping millions of gallons of water a year to keep up appearances. 

A pitch for a modular vegetation wall that could keep universities (and other properties) lush through rain- and gray water harvesting, filtering and storage was one of two concepts to take the top prize this year at ArchiNova, the annual “Shark Tank”-style ideas competition for University of Maryland architecture students.