designBridge projects and endeavors are taken on in two capacities;

CURRICULUM PROJECTS:

designBridge takes on 2-3 yearlong projects that are vetted in the spring and taken from pre-design to construction by teams beginning in the fall. Most students involved in these projects also elect to take the three-term dB Year curriculum sequence. These courses are intended to support the projects during the pre-design, design-development, permitting and construction phases.

Fall – Pre-design Seminar

Over the course of ten weeks during the fall term, project teams are selected, and managers elected. Once assembled teams begin conducting client meetings and pre-design including site analysis, code review, program generation, precedent study and preliminary schematic design.

Winter – Studio

The winter studio term is reserved for the development of the design and the completion of construction documents and the acquisition of permits. Within the first 3 weeks of the term, students finalize the schematic design, and the remaining 7 weeks are dedicated to the development of construction documents and various mock-ups. Project teams aim to have permits in hand by the end of this course.

Spring – Tech Build

The tech-build class involves a weekly construction meeting in which project teams can discuss progress and address challenges collectively. The course also invloves weekly field trips to a variety of construction materials manufacturers, including large-scale construction, timber, and steel manufactures as well as significant local building sites. During this stage students are connected to valuable local resources that can offer advice and expertise to help guide them through the built process for their own projects.

NON- CURRICULUM PROJECTS:

There are a many projects and endeavors that designBridge takes on each year on a volunteer basis. Some occur annually, such as the contribution of a product of skill workshop to the annual HOPES conference, or the creation of portfolios corresponding to all projects. designBridge also takes on short-term specific services such as generating schematic designs to help local organizations with fundraising, and helping to organize a community design charette.