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The Montana State University School of Architecture Community Design Center (CDC), established in 1976, fosters a collaborative interdisciplinary community/university partnership approach to research and design of the built environment that serves the people of Montana. The goals are to assist community groups and non-profit organizations representing underserved areas or under funded projects and to work with State agencies, city departments, and other regional governmental entities.
The Center operates as a cooperative design studio, utilizing students from the School of Architecture and is administered by a faculty member who is a registered architect. Faculty members from the School of Architecture and other disciplines in the university are also involved as design advisors on individual projects. Currently, Adjunct Assistant Professor Tom McNab oversees the activities of CDC.
The Center’s focus is on enhancing the quality and visual character of the built environment. A broad range of past projects reflect this emphasis:
- Facility and infrastructure assessments.
- Schematic building designs.
- Feasibility studies.
- Planning for controlled growth.
- Community visioning documents.
- Historical preservation.
- Creating new economic opportunities.
While the Center assists communities and organizations in orchestrating specific interests and activities they envision, it also provides students with practical experience by:
- Sharing knowledge locally and regionally through community service.
- Preparing students for professional leadership and lifelong learning in Architecture and related fields.
- Preserving and developing knowledge for the profession through research and practice.
The Center is committed to environmental sustainability and seeks opportunities to allow students a wide range of experiences to participate directly with communities on projects that are supportive of sustainable design and construction principles. The Center affords students the opportunity to learn first hand of the complete design process, cutting across a range of social, environmental, and physical issues.
Approximately 10 to 15 fourth year students participate in the Center’s activities each semester. Student teams are assigned to each Center project. The teams manage their own projects and determine appropriate design proposals, research methods and production schedules with the assistance of the faculty advisors.
With rare exception the work done by the Center must be accomplished within the sixteen weeks of a normal academic semester. The Center director is responsible for selecting the design or research opportunities that most effectively enhance the students’ educational experiences.
The students bring fresh ideas, creativity, and enthusiasm to the process, while respecting their clients’ insights and the unique character of the place they are working. This results in architectural solutions that respond to both the physical and cultural landscape producing in-depth research and a design uniquely responsive to the client’s needs and aspirations.
The Center is solely dependent on research grants and service contracts for its operational budget. Center fees include faculty time, studio operating expense, travel, meals, supplies, printing costs, reproduction of the final documents and other costs appropriate to the scope of services provided.
To contact the The Montana State University School of Architecture Community Design Center please send email to: cdc@montana.edu
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