Algonquin Interior Design students unveil winning concept for Lockheed Martin

Posted on Thursday, April 21st, 2016

Lockheed Algonquin College

(L to R) Algonquin College Interior Design Students Jessica Drolet, Sarah Taylor and Brooke Zacharuk

Algonquin’s Interior Design students were in the spotlight at the grand opening of Lockheed Martin Canada’s new IMPACT Centre.

Lockheed Martin had approached the Interior Design School late last fall with the idea for a contest, encouraging students to submit designs for the new energy and eco-friendly facility on Palladium Drive. Three teams of students took up the challenge and, with only a few weeks to put their proposals together, came up with full concepts for the space.

“It was a lot of work …. but it was really exciting,” said Sarah Taylor, 25, one of the students who participated in the contest. “It was a great experience.”

The results of the contest were announced at the grand opening, which was a showcase for the IMPACT Centre, “part of Lockheed Martin Canada’s latest initiative to invest in state of the art facilities and infrastructure across Canada to accelerate technology development and promote a thriving culture of innovation.”

Taylor and her classmates, Jessica Drolet and Brooke Zacharuk, were declared the winners. Taylor credited her training at Algonquin for her team’s win, explaining that her instructors had given the students the tools they needed to get the job done under deadline pressure.

“I don’t think I would have ever dreamed of doing this if it hadn’t been for my training at Algonquin,” said Taylor. “The teachers at Algonquin prepared us to give presentations.”

Her teammates agreed, saying that the three years of classroom work had all paid off and given them a better understanding of their instructors’ emphasis on the basics.

“It’s a really hard program but at the end of the semester, when you have your final book with all your drawings and research, it’s really rewarding,” said Zacharuk.

Lockheed Martin had nothing but praise for the work — and work ethic — of all the Algonquin participants.

“It blew us away, their energy and their enthusiasm,” said Gayle Kennedy, an Algonquin alumna. “There was no issue with quality. It was all on a professional level.”

Kennedy said the student interior designers were “overflowing with ideas” and that they were especially impressed with their ability to handle the tight turnaround time for the project.

“What was unbelievable was that energy,” she said, adding that the winning students captured top spot with their attention to detail and research. “I think it was that they understood us as a company. They made the effort to do that research.”


Comments

Comments are closed.