Architecture student aspiring to greater heights
Jacob Waldbillig, an architecture student in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Athabasca University will be travelling to compete in the 25th Skills Canada National Competition being held in Halifax, Nova Scotia on May 28-29, 2019.
This follows Jacob’s first placing in the post-secondary Architectural Technology and Design competition held on May 8-9 in Edmonton as part of the 2019 Skills Canada Alberta provincial contest. Should Jacob win, he will gain the title of Canada’s most skilled Architectural Technologist. Jacob has had a lifelong enthusiasm in architecture and currently works for an Edmonton architectural firm.
Jacob is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Architecture (BSc Arch) program at AU. The BSc Arch program is Canada’s first online architecture program and is offered by AU in partnership with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). It is a pre-professional program that prepares students for AU’s Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Architecture or, alternatively, for a Master of Architecture program at another institution. More details on the BSc Arch program and the options that are offered can be found at AU’s RAIC Centre for Architecture’s site.
Jacob’s favourite course in the BSc Arch program so far is Architectural Design Theory Fundamentals (ARCH 330). ARCH 330 explores the creative process of design through a series of reading, investigation, and analysis of ideas in architectural form and relationships. In essence, the course trains students to appreciate the purpose of architecture as a cultural artifact. A range of other courses are also offered in the program.
Asked to comment on whether he has been able to combine work and studying successfully, Jacob remarked, “Absolutely! I have a full-time job at an architecture firm in Edmonton, AB. I’ve also been volunteering as a coach at a hockey association in St. Albert for the last three years. AU has allowed me to work full time, volunteer and do my studies at the same time.”
We will all be rooting for Jacob in Halifax!
