View from Barge classroom across on-board wetland and the Elizabeth River to Norfolk, Virginia. Operable windows on three sides of the classroom take advantage of river breezes and ensure an ambient environment, without mechanical ventilation, even on the hottest days. On cold days, warm air is blown over pipes ciculating hot water below the bench on the right side of the photo. Water is heated by solar thermal collectors adjacent to the barge roof.

View along classroom bench out to on-board wetland. Bench pads and covers were made by UVa architecture students in one of the numerous classes and studios that led up to completion of the barge, in this case by UVa Architecture Professor Sanda Iliescu's class.

By October 2010, the Barge was fulfilling her intended mission: helping the Elizabeth River Project reach out to Elizabeth River Communities and schoolchildren to raise awareness of the importance of the river, its role in everyday life and how our actions contribute to or inhibit the health of the River as an ecosystem.