Architectural Technologies students design and build their perfect piece of furniture

Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Architectural Technologies students are holding an online exhibition to showcase the projects they created during this year’s furniture making course.

The project teaches students how to take an idea for their own perfect piece of furniture and execute it through the design and building process. This process is not always a smooth one, but that’s part of the learning experience said program head Angela Deans.

“Inevitably what they learn from that process is that they have got a lot more to learn,” she said.

More importantly, the project teaches students how to successfully collaborate with other tradespeople – a skill that will be heavily utilized once joining the workforce.

“Over the years we have partnered with the carpentry program and had some of the carpentry instructors provide additional support,” Deans explained.

This support ranges from helping students safely use tools and equipment, to providing advice on ensuring the design of the build would be executable within the five-day construction timeframe.

“What it really encourages is acknowledging that anytime you are creating something new there is so much to think through,” Deans said. “It’s a challenging experience, so they really become aware of the value of the tradespeople and the expertise they have.”

According to Deans, students this year enjoyed even more, socially distanced, collaboration than usual under new COVID-19 safety protocols.

“Because we have been delivering the program remotely this year, when students walked into the shop, for many of them it was the first time they had touched a hand tool,” Deans explained. “So, we had trained professionals operating the big pieces of cutting equipment and then the students would have to give very specific instructions on how each piece needed to be cut – which really simulates what happens in the field.”

The COVID-19 pandemic also meant big changes for the end-of-project showcase – which this year will make an online debut on April 30, 2021.

In past years, students have presented their creations over two days in a gallery-style showcase on Sask Polytech’s Moose Jaw campus where members of the public were encouraged to engage with the students and provide valuable feedback.

Instead, this year the program partnered with project sponsor Business Furnishings to create a documentary style video delving into each step of the process, which can be shared amongst family, friends and industry professionals to ensure the students are receiving feedback – even if it’s not in person.

“This year has really meant that for all of us in every situation you had to be creative in the moment to ensure safety and what we are learning from that is there might be some value in doing some things differently.”