Students Fine-Tune Presentation Skills Through Monumental Design

Juniors in Penn College's building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration major recently presented their first project of the fall semester: an assignment that consumed much of their first three weeks of classes. Members of the Architectural Design Studio IV class were charged with designing a monument to the four classical elements (earth, wind, fire and water) along the East River, near New York City's FDR Drive and First Avenue. Eight teams made their pitch to a jury of classmates and faculty members, who praised what worked in the students' respective designs – and constructively deconstructed those choices that fell short. Limited only by imagination, the varied designs incorporated such eye-catching features as trees fashioned from wind turbines, a two-story fish tank, a flaming torch against the urban skyline and a rotating model of Earth. "If we can't come up with these ideas and share them," asked Daniel L. Brooks, instructor of architectural technology, "who else is going to?" In addition to offering feedback about the projects themselves, Brooks and Naim N. Jabbour, assistant professor of architectural technology, advised students on poster preparation, communication skills and other practical pointers to aid in their eventual real-life meetings with potential clients.