Tag Archives: Architecture

News Releases, Uncategorized

Bachelor of Architecture Granted Initial Candidacy by National Architecture Accrediting Board

Dunwoody College of Technology’s Bachelor of Architecture has been granted initial candidacy by the National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB). The candidacy comes after a site visit last spring by a visiting team consisting of representatives from national academic and professional organizations.

 Initial candidacy marks the first two-year phase of the program’s professional accreditation.  Future phases include initial accreditation which will be considered after the program graduates its first class of students in 2018.  As a candidate school, Dunwoody Architecture will submit and publicy share its Architecture Program Report, Visiting Team Report, and Annual Statistical Reports.

Dunwoody Architecture offers the only five year bachelor of architecture degree in the state, providing students with a short, clear path to becoming a licensed, practicing architect. In addition, Dunwoody is one of the only schools in the nation that allows students with two-year architectural degrees to transfer into year three of a professional degree program. Its degree employs a hands-on approach to architectural education that starts with two years of focus on employability through proficiency in design and building technologies. The remaining three years provide advanced skills in design and professional leadership.  Applications for Fall 2016 are now open.

Photos, Student Competitions, Student News

Dunwoody students earn gold at 2015 SkillsUSA Minnesota contest

Dunwoody College of Technology students performed well again this year in the SkillsUSA Minnesota Contest held last weekend at various locations in the Twin Cities, including the Dunwoody campus.

Overall, 20 Dunwoody students competed in nine contests, including Architectural Drafting, Automotive Service Technology, Automotive Refinishing, Collision Repair Technology, Electrical Construction Wiring, Industrial Motor Control, Related Technical Math, Web Design and Welding.

Students medaled in five of the contests, with five in first place, two in second place and two in third place.

The following are the medal winners:

 

Architectural Drafting – Advisor: Paul Strother

1st Place: James Matthes

2nd Place: Chris Herd

3rd Place:  Celina Nelson

 

Web Design – Advisor: Kevin Wendt

1st Place Team: Ryan Blaha & Eric Lorentzen

2nd Place: Joshua Eastwood & Nhia Yang

3rd Place: Casey Cross & Andrew Kinniburgh

 
Collision Repair – Advisors: Bruce Graffunder & Allan Zimney

1st Place: Benjamin Meister

 

Automotive Refinishing – Advisors: Bruce Graffunder & Allan Zimney

1st Place:  Harrison Reget

 

Related Technical Math – Advisor: Polly Friendshuh

1st Place:  Matthew Shevich

The National competition will take place June 22 – 26 in Louisville, Ky.

For more information about SkillsUSA Minnesota, visit www.mnskillsusa.org.

 

Uncategorized

Multiple programs benefit from new fabrication lab

Architecture student Roman Zastavskiy and President Rich Wagner assemble a chair model created using a laser cutter.

Architecture student Roman Zastavskiy and President Rich Wagner assemble a chair model created using a laser cutter.

Students in Architecture, Interior Design, Construction Management and Graphic Design now have access to a new, state-of-the-art fabrication lab located in Red 67.

Rocky Phandanouvong and Tyler Barres.

Rocky Phandanouvong and Tyler Barres.

The “fab lab”—also referred to as “digital fabrication lab” (dLab)—is a hands-on laboratory that provides students with the necessary resources for material testing, prototyping, product design and development, visualization, and digital fabrication at all scales.

“The fab lab fulfills Dunwoody’s mission to provide a hands-on education that serves the industries in need,” said Architecture Program Manager John Dwyer. “Architecture is expanding its role into computational design and digital fabrication to create buildings with greater performance.  This gives students the capacity to gain the skills for these emerging professional tracks.”

Josh Kulus

Josh Kulus

Among the fab lab’s tools relevant to the architecture industry are: model making and prototyping tools (laser cutter/engraver, small sander, small table saw and dremel); full-scale fabrication tools (CNC router); and product design and development tools (3D printer). Future fab lab tools will include a large format laser cutter, vinyl cutter, mini mill and portable 3D printers.

Interior Design students will use the fab lab for prototyping and testing product concepts for improvements and innovations. “The actual making helps to reinforce a true hands-on educational experience unique to our college—and so important to our students learning,” said Interior Design Principal Instructor Colleen Schmaltz.

Construction Management students will focus on collaboration with other disciplines in the fab lab. Program Manager Heather Gay said: “We plan on working with Architecture, Interior Design, and Graphic Design on multidisciplinary projects such as model building, cost and buildability analyses, and full-scale construction.”

The Graphic Design department will use the fab lab to cut larger retail display components than their new Kongsberg V20 table can handle and also to possibly create 3D-printed prototypes to stand in as product samples and enrich the package design process.

“The other programs will be using Graphic Design’s new CAD table as well for their furniture design and model making when they can,” said Graphic Design Principal Instructor Pete Rivard. “Our table has expandable tooling options that extend it beyond paper and corrugated and allow materials such as plastic, vinyl, wood and aluminum to be cut so there are options available to Architecture and Interior Design to share the cost of tools while making the Kongsberg table available to more Dunwoody students.”

Rivard added that the programs all sharing materials will make the procurement of materials more cost effective for the College.

Laser-Cutter-and-ComputerThe fab lab was funded largely by private donations through the Dunwoody community of donors as well as a matching grant from First Technologies.

“We are applying for an annual grant to continue expanding the lab and are hoping to eventually integrate the fab lab with the materials lab, currently on the Green Level, and house all of them on the Red Level,” Dwyer said.

 

News Releases

DUNWOODY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY LAUNCHES FIVE YEAR BACHELORS DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURE

Leading Technical College Rolls Out More Stackable Courses

Dunwoody College of Technology, one of the country’s longest running technical colleges, is to begin graduating bachelor degree students in Architecture. The announcement follows approval from the Higher Learning Commission and comes as part of Dunwoody’s plans to expand their selection of stackable education programs.

Dunwoody also received eligibility for candidacy with the National Architectural Accreditation Board, which will soon allow graduates to receive a professional Bachelor of Architecture degree and become licensed architects.

The College is currently accepting applications for freshmen starting in fall 2014 and will begin accepting current students, alumni and transfer students into year three of the program starting in fall 2015. All students will graduate with a Bachelor of Architecture.

“Dunwoody has a long history of training architectural drafters,” says Bridget Reynolds, dean of Construction Sciences & Building Technology. “Discussions with industry and alumni over the past few years have suggested that there is a strong need to bring the Dunwoody model of applied education to preparing students to become licensed architects.”

The program is structured as a two plus three stackable credential, awarding an Associate of Applied science degree after the first two years and a Bachelor of Architecture degree upon completion of the final three years.

In their first, immersive two years of study, students will become experts in current design and building technologies, making them ideal employees in building design and construction industries. In their final three years, they will then become leaders in the profession of architecture as well as in the advancement of design and building technologies.

“This method flips the standard model of architectural education,” says John Dwyer, Senior Instructor of Architectural Drafting & Design. “Usually it’s abstract thinking first, technical proficiency second. This model allows students to become very employable very early in their education. And, much like Picasso who began with technical figure drawing, it gives students foundational knowledge to draw from, giving them a stronger ability to apply abstract thinking. This way, theory, history, design, leadership, research and everything else can be taught within the hands-on, project-based Dunwoody model.”

Enrolled participants in the program will have the opportunity to collaborate with students in other Dunwoody technical programs such as Interior Design, Construction Management, and Machine Tool Technology. This will help them develop skills in communicating with professionals in other fields while learning to manage design challenges within real-world applications.

For more details on the program, visit:  http://dunwoody.edu/construction/architecture/

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About Dunwoody College of Technology

Founded in 1914, Dunwoody College of Technology is the only private, not-for-profit technical college in the Upper Midwest. It provides a hands-on, applied technical education to men and women who go on to have meaningful and rewarding careers. Located on the western edge of downtown Minneapolis, the College is currently celebrating its Centennial year.

Dunwoody is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association. The commission’s web address and phone number are: www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org and 312-263-0456.