« Each AY tower would dwarf (in sf) that 31-story public housing tower | Main | Gossip Roundup »
July 30, 2006
NYC high school students get a taste of the design life.
Real Estate Weekly reports on the CBA in action...
Twenty-three New York City high school students have completed a mentoring program, working under top names in the building trades to learn about construction and design related fields. Participating youth received certificates of completion for the program on Friday at the Atlantic Yards Information Center, where they have been meeting since November. Jamie Hector, star of the HBO drama The Wire, was on hand to congratulate the youth on their accomplishments, and PR maven Terrie M. Williams shared with the youth tips for success in business and life.The atrium-domed recreation center, which included tennis courts, a track, pool, fitness center, basketball court, dance studio and internet cafe, was conceived and designed by the students and helped them to learn the principals of structural engineering, design development and teamwork.
The students collaborated with professional mentors from Gehry Partners, Ismael Leyva Architects, P.C., Flack + Kurtz, Thornton Tomasetti Group and team-leader Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), who helped draw up plans and a model for their project.
The youth did a formal presentation of the project before an audience in May.
The project was part of the ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) Mentoring Program, founded by the principals of leading design and construction firms to introduce high school students to career opportunities in architecture, construction and engineering and to address shortages of qualified professional staff in those fields. The group was born in 1994 when seventeen firms banded together into three teams, each organized like a typical design and construction team, and "adopted" about 90 students from local high schools. In addition to exposing young people to real world activities in these fields, ACE provides scholarships to high school students who exhibit the greatest aptitude and decide to pursue a college curriculum in architecture, engineering or construction. FCRC is participating in the program as part of its ongoing commitment to the community as reflected in the recent Community Benefits Agreement developed for the Atlantic Yards project.
"These youth were extremely eager to learn and their level of dedication bodes very well for their futures," said Randall Toure, vice president at FCRC. "We are happy that many of them will continue their exposure to the design, construction and development fields as summer interns at the mentoring firms."
Under the Atlantic Yards Community Benefits Agreement, internships, specialized classes and mentoring initiatives to train minorities and women for work in architectural, engineering and other fields havebegun to be established.
The CBA seeks to provide youth with business and career development opportunities and to assist hard-to-employ youth to develop skills.
Posted by amy at July 30, 2006 10:54 AM