Yestermorrow: A hands-on design/build education

Back in college, I participated in a design/build project as part of my architecture degree. It was only one semester, but those months working outside on real projects were really valuable. There’s something special about being involved in the manifestation of ideas that you worked on via pencil and paper or pixels on a computer screen.

Yestermorrow is a non-profit organization in Vermont that teaches the design and building process combined together, translating theory into practice. Their semester program, in partnership with UMass Amherst, takes college students through a 17-week immersive program where they design and build a small structure for year-round use. We had the chance to step into Yestermorrow’s world briefly last year: here’s what we found:

We’re thrilled to see ‘Design/Build’ creep into the names of more and more professional firms. We think that tightening the proximity between these two disciplines makes for a better end product, and also a better experience for everyone involved. Design/Build is a powerful paradigm and the folks at Yestermorrow tapped into it long ago. When we spend time with the students and professionals working in this space, we see that the most important role that SketchUp can play is to get out of the way, so people can get their hands dirty and build the things they design.

Ed. note: This Yestermorrow course is offered through a partnership with UMass Amherst. At the beginning of this semester's curriculum, Alex Schreyer introduced the students to SketchUp and LayOut; he is Director of the Building and Construction Technology Program at UMass, as well as a seasoned SketchUp author who visits Yestermorrow to provide workshops on SketchUp.