MDC School of Architecture Leading South Florida in Technology Education
Miami, January 7, 2009 - Miami Dade College (MDC) has a renowned School of Architecture, which, along with its students, has received many accolades. With a presence on several campuses, its students routinely submit quality work which is positively recognized by others. Now, students at the School of Architecture at MDC’s North Campus have some new tools in architecture technology that will further enhance their educational experience and the quality and creativity of their work. They are receiving instruction on some of the most advanced software currently available: CATIA and Revit. In fact, MDC is the only institution in South Florida and the only public institution in the state to offer training in CATIA.
“Miami Dade College North Campus is committed to advancing the field of architecture by providing the students with an opportunity to learn the very latest technology and software and place them on the cutting edge of the industry,” North Campus President José A. Vicente said.
CATIA is used by the aerospace industry to design airplanes, as well as by architects to design highly complex buildings such as the ones produced by Frank Gehry (Guggenheim, Bilbao, and others). MDC is listed among several respected institutions, including Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, currently offering the software.
Revit, a more engineering-related program, is currently being used by many firms. This software allows the students to produce a 3D file that contains all the elements in a building: walls, windows, etc. Each element is then packaged with specifications, size, material, and structural characteristics. When an element is changed during the design process, it is automatically updated in the ensuing related drawings. This feature, called parametric relationship, helps architects and engineers avoid the enormous liability issue of having to remember to make the changes manually to all related drawings. A number of firms are now changing to this software and training is in demand.
“It is a changing working environment where engineers and architects will begin to shift to this technology,” said José Lozano, director of MDC’s School of Architecture. “Students learn cutting edge technology and gain a very hands-on experience.”
The teaching of advanced classes in BIM (Building Information Modeling), with the top software being CATIA, is part of MDC’s strategic plan to educate the workforce in the industry.
For more information, please contact Jose Lozano at 305-237-0635.
Media-only contacts:
Juan Mendieta, 305-237-7611, jmendiet@mdc.edu, MDC communications director
Sue Arrowsmith, 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu, media specialist
Tarnell Carroll, 305-237-3359, tcarroll@mdc.edu, media specialist