Designing with . . . wood?

what is the world coming to?

I came across a heart warming story today. It describes a student design project at the Rochester Institute of Technology. (click here for the story)

photo credit: notcot.com

I found it heart-warming on many levels – not just because they were designing toys, or that the students came up with some incredibly clever designs, or that the product photography was absolutely exquisite. What really warmed my heart was the following statement from the design brief:

“Each student will be required to explore the properties of wood
and its use as a primary material in object construction.”

Great design solutions always involve the proper use of materials. Understanding the properties of a material – and how to use that material effectively  – should be a basic fundamental in the training of every designer, engineer, or architect.

Kudos to the the staff of RIT for teaching this.

Teach your children well . . .