Architectural Design Students Present Final Projects to Professionals
June 4, 2025
On Friday, May 16, the last day of the Spring 2025 semester, students in the Architectural Design IV class presented their final projects to college faculty and industry professionals in Hudson Hall’s architecture studio.
Students were asked to select a preexisting building from across the world that did not previously win an architecture competition and change it in ways that could potentially make it an award winner. The exercise allowed students to implement their skills and ideas to create new and improved designs.
Buildings ranged in type, shape and size, and included coffee shops, resorts and museums, to name a few.
Professional architects from Page and Mosaic Associates as well as current RPI students studying architecture attended the presentations to provide feedback.
Assistant Professor Johanna Carabantes led the class this semester and also provided feedback, along with Engineering, Architecture and Manufacturing Department Chair Joe Dana and Dean of STEM Héctor Rodriguez.
This final studio course for Architectural Technology students is an accumulation of all the skills they’ve learned over the past two years and an opportunity for them to apply those skills in more realistic scenarios. From the start of the semester, students completed research on the basics of structure, HVAC and lighting systems, which they applied to their designs throughout the semester.
“One of our goals of the architecture program is to prepare the students for whatever path they want to pursue, whether that’s transferring to another school or going straight into the workforce,” said Carabantes, one of the lead instructors in the degree program. “In this class, we use two design programs: Rhino and Revit. Many architecture firms use Revit, so introducing this program during their time here at HVCC is very important, especially for those looking to enter the workforce right away.”
Bethany Normandin, an Architectural Technology A.A.S. student who graduated at the college’s 71st Commencement on May 17, put her skills to the test and also gained valuable life lessons while working on her project.
“I didn’t like my project originally, but then I came to love it,” Bethany said. “Every time I make a new render, I realize just how beautiful it is. You might struggle through the process, but you can do anything you put your mind to.”
Many graduates from the college’s Architectural Technology program continue their education with the goal of completing a BArch or BSArch bachelor’s degree, while others will move directly into the workforce, working under the supervision of professional architects.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for architects was $96,690 in 2024, and about 8,500 job openings for architects are projected each year, on average, over the decade from 2023 to 2033.