Archive News 2020
ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ drafting program a launchpad for innovative, sustainable architecture
Left to right: ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ alumni Kevin Li, Curtis Krahn, Jacob Dobrinsky
Architectural design has changed a lot since Curtis Krahn attended ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½’s drafting program in 1982. "Houses are way more sophisticated now than when we started," he says. "What took four to five months to build now takes two years."
In a city with a limited housing supply and soaring real estate prices, however, smarter homebuilding is coming back in style.
Today, at his North Vancouver firm , Curtis and his team are consistently working on ways to increase both productivity and sustainability in the industry. Recent projects include modifiable laneway houses, Passive House (ultra-low energy) designs, and new, time- and waste-saving modular construction techniques.
After getting his drafting certificate from ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½, Curtis went on to earn an architecture degree from the University of Manitoba and then a master’s degree from the University of Oregon, eventually returning to B.C. and starting his own company. "ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ was an awesome stepping stone," he says.
Over the years, Curtis has stayed connected by hiring numerous ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ grads, speaking to classes, and serving on the Program Advisory Committee for ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½'s Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) programs.
As our communities strive for a sustainable future, working together is more crucial than ever. It is ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ alumni and employers like Curtis who keep us on the cutting-edge, ensuring that students not only find jobs, but make an impact when they do.
Synthesis Design
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Find out how far drafting has come and where it can take you. Lear more about ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½’s CAD and BIM (Drafting) programs at an upcoming info session or at our open house on Wednesday, Oct. 16.