A four-week program, hosted by the VI Architecture Center for Built Heritage and Crafts, was designed to build a social and climate-resilient history of architecture for approximately a dozen high school students on St. Croix. The course culminated Friday with presentations by the students about the curriculum and the model houses they built.
It was clear the students had formed bonds with each other and the staff as they excitedly explained their projects to an audience of family and friends. They also talked about the segments of the course.
“I enjoyed the field trips. They offered a more interactive way of learning – just being more engaged with the island itself,” Kianna Maldonado said.
Her brother, Eliasim Maldonado, said he liked learning about the indigenous plants and trees during the Featherleaf Inn field trip.
Aundre Dolcar said he liked learning some of the skills he will need to become an architectural engineer.
During the course, students learned trade skills, such as masonry, woodworking, architecture, engineering, drone photography and 3D printing. The instructors’ and interns’ goals were “to foster an understanding of how modern tools and traditional crafts can work together to preserve and sustain our rich cultural legacy,” according to the program overview.
The session on drones showed the students that a different perspective can be obtained with photos taken above the subject. The 3D printing class helped them create specific items used in old homes. They made doors, gingerbread patterns and mahogany furniture replicas to scale. One student from last year used the stipend he earned to purchase a 3D printer.
The final goal for students, working in groups of three, was to build a three-dimensional Crucian cottage using upcycled and sustainable materials to the specifications established by the instructors.
They used Popsicle sticks and pieces of galvanized metal for the exteriors. The resulting models of vernacular/ordinary homes included rooms with furniture and gingerbread details on the exteriors. One building included coconut trees with genip seeds as the fruit and another featured a hurricane-impacted building surrounded by “caution” tape.
Some of the core skills the students learned included reading an architectural ruler, understanding scale, drafting 101, LiDar scanning 101 and navigation. (According to IBM, LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is a remote sensing technology that uses laser beams to measure precise distances and movement in an environment.)
They also learned bushcraft and foraging. They had classes on communication, conflict resolution, planning and goal setting, and about the various careers in the building arts.
At the end of Friday’s demonstrations, students were presented with certificates of achievement. Each one accepted the certificates and applause appreciatively and several were excited to take the course again next year.
“It was an honor to work with these young people,” Amanda Sackey, VIAC program director, said, smiling broadly.
St. Croix Source
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