Models of grand concert halls, intimate gazebos, and avant-garde pavilions showcased the artistic talent of their designers at Pavilion with a Purpose, a semi-annual student art and architecture show held on Nov. 19 at Florida Polytechnic University.
The event was the culmination of a semester-long effort to research, create, and present a pavilion design as part of the art appreciation and application class.
“This brings our creative side out, especially because there were no limitations on the project,” said Alexey Kuznetsov, a sophomore majoring in computer science.
Kuznetsov was part of a team that designed an open-air pavilion showcasing the American flag. The gray model was 3D printed and designed with modular construction that can be scaled to fit any size land.
“We tried to make it symmetrical across all the different surfaces and went with a more triangular shape, so it was more structurally sound,” said his design partner, computer science junior Kyle Storch-Dolcelli.
Victoria Lowe, adjunct professor of the art appreciation and application class behind the show, said the assignment shows the clear relationship that exists between art and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
“You have aesthetics with function and form and if you blend all of those things, you get this building (the iconic Innovation, Science, and Technology Building), for example,” Lowe said. “Architecture is the marriage of art and STEM.”
Junior Alan Longfellow had his Florida Poly education in mind when he constructed a pavilion specifically for the purpose of studying quietly at the Lakeland, Florida, campus. The Mechanical engineering major utilized 3D trigonometry in the design of this pavilion and was happily surprised at how much he enjoyed the process.
“I used to think art was very subjective and had no objective standards and I didn’t know how we would be graded,” Longfellow said. “I see now you can have it subjective, but objective in other ways that gets the work done.”
In addition to building the architectural models, the teams of students were required to complete a class presentation describing the project and they then fielded questions from their peers.
Lowe said the nearly two dozen projects reflect the creativity and gumption of students at Florida Poly.
“Students here are amazing and so willing to try things they’ve never done,” Lowe said. “When they can’t solve something, they go to people who have the knowledge they need to make it beautiful and ask for their help.”
Contact:
Lydia Guzman
Director of Communications
863-874-8557