ALFRED — Alfred State College’s American Institute for Architecture Students (AIAS) chapter traveled to Montreal during the college’s recent mini break to visit several notable sites and experience new cultures.
“International travel is an essential part of any architect’s education,” said Assistant Professor of Architecture and AIAS Faculty Advisor Kevin Hofmann. “Experiencing new places, especially with the developing mindset of a student, inevitably leads to fresh ideas, greater empathy for others, and insatiable curiosity.”
While in Montreal, students saw the 1967 World’s Fair geodesic dome designed by Buckminster Fuller. Today, the structure sits in the middle of Parc Jean-Drapeau and can be explored by visiting the Biosphère, an interactive museum focused on the relationship between the planet and the life it hosts. Other notable structures visited included the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA) and the Moshe Safdie-designed Habitat 67, an experimental housing project and an early example of modular design.
Between architectural excursions, the group stayed at the Saintlo Hostel and enjoyed a family-style meal at a Polish restaurant with a Canadian twist.
On the return trip, the group stopped in Ottawa, the Canadian capital, to see the parliament building and explore the ByWard market.
“The opportunity to lead my fellow students on an international trip was a priceless learning experience that broadened our architectural mindset and strengthened the architecture-student community at Alfred State,” shared AIAS President Jack Christie when asked to reflect on what he will take away from this experience.
On Nov. 2, AIAS will be hosting The Economics of Architecture, a panel featuring President Steve Mauro, among other clients, architects and builders, to deepen students’ knowledge about and appreciation for the dollars and cents of the profession.