Sudbury’s first architecture students get to work

Points North5:00A summer of co-op for LU students

As part of the Laurentian University architecture program, students are required to do a series of co-operative work placements. This summer was the first placement period for the inaugural class of students - we visit two of them at work!

The first class of students at Laurentian University’s School of Architecture are practising their new skills in their inaugural co-operative education work placement.

The school opened in downtown Sudbury last fall to its first class. It is the first architecture school to open in Canada in the last 40 years.

The students will complete a total of three co-op placements throughout their degree.

Jeremy Upward is honing his new skills at an outdoor site in Sudbury.

“We came in, and it was a grassy backyard with two trees and an old deck,” he said.

“We completely tore out everything, and dug a huge hole and dropped a pool in … and now we’re placing lock stone around the pool.”

Upward says the second year of the program will focus on landscaping, a skill he said he’s glad to be getting experience in now. He added the landscaping and design work he’s doing now is relatively new.

“I’m really enjoying it,” he said.

“It’s good to kind of put this with architecture [because] usually, architects have a disconnect with the labourers and there will be stuff we’ll design that can’t be done in the workplace.”

Keegan McGowan is also working at the same site for his placement.

He said it’s a good experience to not only design a project, but bring it to fruition.

“A lot of times, [architects] stay within their office and the skilled tradesmen will be working,” he said.

“[The architects] will come in and check it, but they won’t be there for long periods of time.”

Students were able to sign up for placements or find their own. The 37 students at the school will head back to class in September.