Building a career: Centre High students get a taste of architecture
“Part of the thing to become an architect is learning to think. That might sound simple, but it’s not. Architecture tends to involve a great level of intuition and imagination.”
Barry Johns, an award-winning architect, expanded on this message to an audience of 23 students at Centre High in Edmonton this morning, July 8—and by the end of the day, students were already putting their own imaginations and intuition to work.
He is one of several architects working with the RAIC Centre for Architecture, part of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Athabasca University (AU), to offer a dual-credit course in partnership with the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB)—the two-week Design Fundamentals Dual Credit Summer Camp for students who want to spend part of their summer learning about the profession.
This partnership between AU and EPSB gives students the opportunity to take a university-level course with RAIC Centre for Architecture Chair Dr. Douglas MacLeod, instructor Cynthia Dovell, hear presentations from award-winning architects, tour interesting buildings, and do a variety of hands-on exercises to put what they have learned into action.
Johns kicked off the course with an overview of architecture to get students thinking about buildings: how culture and environment play a role in architecture, balancing the “natural logic” of nature with new technologies, and considerations about authenticity and style.
When they complete the course, students will not only get high-school credit, but will also get credit for Architectural Design Studio (ADST) 200: Foundations of Design I.
AU has partnerships with eight school divisions in Alberta, offering dual-credit courses to tens of thousands of high-school students across the province. The Government of Alberta website provides more information about dual-credit options for high-school students.
