A semester-long service project gave hands-on learning to Front Range students and a shed for Habitat for Humanity in Fort Collins to sell and keep the proceeds.
That’s a win-win. Add a third win – the buyer gets a solidly constructed shed designed to look good and move relatively easily.
Design, build a shed for Habitat.
The students were in Jamie Hahn’s Architectural and Engineering Construction Management capstone class. The assignment: Design and build a storage shed. Simple enough? Turn up the pressure: Finish the job on time or everybody fails.
Learn about teamwork, problem solving.
Jamie wanted a variety of learning outcomes:
- “It was one of the biggest components. It was really neat to see how they jelled.”
- Critical Thinking. Could they solve problems during the project?
- Develop empathy for builders. “These students were designers. It was a real eye-opener for them. Our software is so powerful today. The design can look really pretty, but can it be built? They developed a sense of ‘constructability’ in real life, with real time frames.”
Levi Deckert, who is graduating with a degree in construction management from Colorado State University in May, has worked commercial construction for Adolfson and Peterson for four years. He gained experience on the residential side.
“I did this for the hands-on, group effort,” he says. “It went from paper to materials to final product.”
Bailey Caldwell, who earned an Associate of Applied Science in Architectural and Engineering and Construction Management and a certificate in Drafting, was the lead designer for the project. “It’s amazing to design something in school and see your design come to life,” she says.
Support for Habitat.
For Joe Kissell, general manager of Habitat’s ReStore, the project was “another example how the community supports Habitat in so many ways. There was amazing synergy for this among the class, and that will continue with Habitat. It will be a great fund-raiser.”
The shed was delivered to the ReStore, 4001 S. Taft Hill Road, Fort Collins, in early May. It sold for $5,000.
