Competition appeals to future architects by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver 7 | Wednesday, March 19, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Oakville's next generation of architects now has a foot in the door, thanks to John Willmott Architect, Inc.'s (JWA) annual student design competition. Designed for Grades 11 and 12 students interested in architecture or other related fields, the 2013 edition of the contest recently named the top three designs, of 18 submitted. "John's main idea is to be involved in the community. There is a marketing aspect ... but it's also a way of giving back to the community and helping high school students get their feet wet," said Steve Hewis, a JWA staff member. Participants were challenged to design an urban gathering space for downtown Oakville visitors and residents. It was dubbed "the bushaus." Located on Dunn and Church streets, it contained a bus stop and an Oakville information building. Entries were judged on design concept and overall presentation, verbal and clarity of presentation, technical detail and drawing quality. The 2013 winner was 17-year-old Austin Liptrap, a Grade 12 student at T.A. Blakelock High School. He received an Apple iPad for placing first. Liptrap said winning the competition was "really surprising. This is really important for me because I actually want to get into architecture in university. This is really going to help me get in," said Liptrap. He worked on his project for 90 minutes a day, five days a week, finishing it in two months, Liptrap noted. "I had a lot of designs. My first one was a box with a flat roof. (There was) nothing really special standing out. As I developed it, it took a lot of different tries," said Liptrap. The challenge for the Blakelock student was to meet all design requirements within the allotted space. "We had a maximum of 850 square feet and you had to fit in so many different things. I tried to make it as abstract as possible. I tried following a circular flow (for) the roof and all of the outdoor (items)," said Liptrap, who wants to pursue a career in landscape architecture. Brendan Schoug, 16, a Grade 11 student from T.A. Blakelock, took second place. He was awarded a Nikon 3100 DSLR camera with lens. "I'm really excited because I want to be an architect when I'm older and it's a good way to start off," said Schoug, who completed his design in about two weeks. Once he had an idea, "the rest just came quickly," he said. As part of the project, students met with an architectural adviser at the firm to evaluate progress, answer questions and provide feedback. "They go through the adjudication process, which is similar to what they may experience in university. It's the exposure and connection with professionals that they might encounter in university," said Hewis. Lara Werbowski, a Grade 11 student from Iroquois Ridge High School, placed third. "When I saw the other projects, I wasn't sure if my effort was enough. But to know it was, feels great," said Werbowski, who won a pair of BEATS headphones. "I've been interested in architecture since Grade 8. It's something that I want to do." The 16-year-old noted she based her design on a housing complex in Montreal, which consists of "different-sized rooms and cubes." "I did a lot of research on different styles and I wanted it to be visually interesting. The idea just stuck with me," said Werbowski. "Learning the software was something that was difficult, but I overcame that pretty quick." Honourable mentions went to Hayley Duncan-Snobel, Brad Bermingham and Liu Stanley. John Willmott Architect Inc. held its annual Student Design Competition awards at its Chartwell Road offices. Receiving their certificates from architect John Willmott, are, from left, second-place finisher Brendan Schoug, first -place winner Austin Liptrap and Laura Matos, who took third place. | photo by Graham Paine Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) ekly Daily & We IN STORE SPECIALS Oakville Volkswagen JETTA EVENT TOP DOLLAR PAID FOR YOUR TRADE IN GET A Only77 In Sto ck^ SO H UR RY IN $ 19,587 Bi-Weekly, $ 2.0L Trend y Package it with Connectiv plus HST & License TTA 2014 JlE ine Plus $ 00 . 9 0 12 .9% 1000 Down Rat s Startine g at $ Auto Show Rebate 1000 500- 1000 * $ $ Autobahn Cash Rebates ** Register for this offer at Oakville Volkswagen is a division of Weins Canada Inc. All offers are valid from March 1st, 2014 to March 31st 2014 but are subject to change without notice. Some conditions apply. See Oakville Volkswagen for further details or call toll free at 1-866-577-9419. ^ Displayed inventory of 77 in stock vehicles is as of March 3rd 2014 and is subject to change without notice. Displayed pricing of $19,587 is based on a 2014 Jetta Trendline Plus with Connectivity Package. Displayed price does not include HST and Licensing. 2.9% Financing up to 84 months on the 2014 Jetta Trendline Plus with Connectivity Package, not equipped with Cold Weather Package, financed and delivered before March 31st 2014. Representative example: 2014 Jetta Trendline Plus, price: $19,587. Financed at 2.9% interest OAC for 84 months with 26 Payments Per Year = a Bi-Weekly payment of $128.73. Cost of borrowing is $2315.30 and a total obligation of $21,133. Displayed price includes $500, $1000 downpayment, example does not include HST or Licensing. Limited time purchase financing offer provided through VCI on approved credit on new retail sales of qualifying models. Representative finance example based upon a 2014 Jetta 2.0 Trendline Price = $18,515 financed at 0.9% APR equals $521.47 per month for 36 months. Cost of borrowing is $241, for a total obligation of $18,756.00. Taxes, Freight & PDI of $3,523, , license, insurance, registration and applicable duties, levies and fees are extra. Dealer may sell for less. Time limited offer at participating dealer. Offer subject to change/cancellation without notice. * $1000 Auto Show Cash Incentive applies to the 2014 Jetta Sedan Gas and the 2014 Jetta Sedan TDI. Customer must present a 2014 AutoShow Reward Certificate after visiting the Volkswagen booth at a Canadian Autoshow and provide the necessary personal information. The following conditions apply. Any Claimed rebate is stackable on any current Triathalon program at time of reporting. The Primary purchaser information as reported in VIM matches the name of the final signed Bill of Sale, the "Exclusive Autoshow Rebate" coupon and any documentation provided to Volkswagen Finance is not transferable and can only be used once. ** $500 Cash Incentive available on the 2014 Golf Wagon Gas, 2014 Golf Wagon TDI, 2014 Jetta Gas, 2014 Jetta TDI, 2014 Passat Gas, 2014 Passat TDI, 2014 Tiguan FWD, 2014 Tiguan 4Motion. $1000 Cash Incentive available on the 2014 Jetta Gas (hybrid), 2014 Jetta GLI and the 2014 Passat Gas 3.6L. Customer must take delivery of vehicle before March 31st 2014. Price adjustments applied before taxes. Offer cannot be combined or used in conjunction with any other available offers. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be assigned. No vehicle trade-in required. Offers available for a limited time, and subject to change or cancellation without notice. See dealer for complete details. Dealer may sell for less. Inventory is limited, dealer order may be required. Customers purchasing a new Jetta during the month of March are eligible for a $100-$500 in-store credit from Oakville Volkswagen's Financial Services Department. Credit amount will be determined by a random card draw. Customer must take delivery of vehicle by March 31st 2014 to apply. Limit of one in-store credit per family, per purchase day. Cannot be exchanged, no cash value.