Competition Practicums

Bridging between school and profession.

Prof. Schwaen and I inititated the practicum to create an office-like experience for 4th year students. Students in the lab were invited to collaborate with us, or to work on another competition in student teams.

As faculty, our role was to support the work and help advance it to a professional level. The first year (fall 2002) the team entered an international competition for the Montréal Cultural and Administrative Center. We worked together with six students to produce a design for a 40-story office building, a symphony hall, and a school for the performing arts on the Balmore Block (Competition catalogue by Societe Immobiliere Quebec, ISBN 2-550.4151.8).

In year two the team entered an international competition for a kindergarden and elementary school in Bozen, Italy. We designed two schools within a very short period of time. The work was inspired by two wall-sculptures by Swiss artist Beat Zoderer.