A new structure is being added to the Architecture School, but this time the terrace will not be built and designed by a group of contractors. Instead, it is the product of undergraduate and graduate students in the Architecture School.
Asst. Architecture Prof. Patricia Kucker designed the project with the intent of helping students bring their designs out of the drawing room, replacing pencils with hammers. Hopefully the program will help "students to be better-prepared to physically build things," Kucker said.
The project is an ongoing effort to build an outside terrace for Campbell Hall, which houses the Architecture School. It is part of a nine-person building class and is headed by students Luke Phinney and Derek West. Kucker is one of the two faculty sponsors for the program. The other faculty sponsor, fellow Asst. Architecture Prof. John Maze gives Kucker credit for the project, calling it "her brainchild."
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The terrace will be used for outside projects, such as spray painting and model building, activities now done inside. The terrace also will have storage space.
Although there is a need for the terrace at the school, the main purpose of the project is learning. Both Kucker and Maze agree that since most work in the Architecture School is not hands-on, the project provides an excellent opportunity for students, "giving them a unique inside look at the building industry," Maze said.
The assignment is being funded primarily by Allied Concrete, along with numerous other organizations. Allied Concrete has given about $25,000 for the project in the form of a grant and has "donated essentially everything," Maze said. He credited Kucker for seizing an opportunity with Allied Concrete.
Maze and Kucker said they see a bright future for the project and already have made plans for next semester.
In the upcoming phase, students will change their focus from concrete to aluminum. Class members first will learn about how the aluminum industry works and go on a trip to Pittsburgh, where the material is manufactured. Armed with this knowledge, they will begin crafting the metal themselves to help form the upper part of the terrace's canopy.
Unlike most construction projects at the University, there is no expected end date for the terrace project. Maze said he would like to see the project continue, with students taking on a different trade each semester.
The project started nearly two years ago with a series of design investigations and continued to grow out of modified ideas on those designs. It now has become an independent study with about 10 students involved, and all are extremely enthusiastic participants, Maze said.
West and Phinney could not be reached for comment.
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