Art and Design Commons^™

Giving Back: Student Architectural Product Research In Service To Practitioners, Jill B. Pable

Proceedings of the 18th National Conference on the Beginning Design Student

It is the nature of the profession that practicing architects and designers are busy people who are faced with keeping abreast of quickly changing construction technologies. Manufacturers of architectural and interior products provide knowledge, but their information is often biased to serve their business objectives. Therefore, impartial information regarding new products is scarce. Students, particularly those new to the field, have the need to develop research skills, become acquainted with materials sources, and develop the ability to critically consider manufacturers' claims. Further, students benefit from interaction with the professionals they seek to emulate.Therefore, an architectural materials service learning project was …