Architectural Technology students showcase their work to the public

An exhibition of projects by Architectural Technology students in GMIT will open to the public next Tuesday, 3 June, featuring the work of over 40 students.

This exhibition features a selection of architectural drawings, sketches and images by students on all four years of the degree programme. Subjects (projects) range from a contemporary rural house, a timber framed kindergarten project and a multi-storey publishing house on the docks in Galway city.

Also featured in this exhibition are collaborative projects involving local organisations; students in fourth year have collaborated with the Galway Bay Sailing Club on an upgrade and extension to the clubhouse and also with Galway County Council on a proposed extension and remodelling of existing buildings into an Interpretative Centre in Renville Park. 

GMIT has been offering programmes in Architectural Technology from Higher Certificate (L6) since 2006 to honours degree level (L8) since 2011. This is the sixth year of the annual exhibition which will run until 17 June in the main Galway campus (Union Square).

Mary Rogers, Head of the GMIT Department of Building & Civil Engineering, says: “Our Architectural Technology graduates are more in demand than ever before, both for their detailing and analytical skills as well as their proficiency in Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Computer Aided Drawing (CAD), which are very real, marketable skills.”

“We are getting an increasing number of enquiries this year from employers in Engineering Consultancies and architectural practices in the west and midlands looking for graduates of our programmes, as well as enquiries from the UK. This exhibition is an excellent demonstration of our students’ skills and is a testament to the professional abilities of an Architectural Technologist.”

Irene Hayden, lecturer on the programme, says GMIT provides students of Architectural Technology with dedicated studio spaces for each course year, equipped with manual and PC drawing facilities, the latest IT software and plotting facilities.

“Our students do a lot of studio project work to develop their problem-solving skills. The projects increase in technical complexity as the course progresses through the first three years of the level 7 programme, concentrating mainly on newly constructed buildings,” explains Ms Hayden.

“In fourth year the emphasis of the project work shifts to adaptation of existing buildings. This includes research and analysis of the building and proposals for its future adaptation and upgrade. The analysis of the building is assisted through the use of 2D & 3D modelling and simulation packages to arrive at a sustainable and cost-effective solution.” add Ms Hayden.

Graduates of the honours degree programme are highly skilled technical professionals working within the construction industry. As contemporary building design evolves, their role is central to the construction process. Buildings are constructed within a changing technical environment requiring ever increasing specialisation.

For more information on programmes in the GMIT Department of Building & Civil Engineering, see:
http://www.gmit.ie/building-civil-engineering/department-building-and-civil-engineering