SketchUpArtists Web Conference with NorthWestern University

SketchUpArtists Web Conference with NorthWestern University

We were recently asked by William Graham, a student at the Center for Talent Development at NorthWestern University and founding president of CTD’s International Architectural Society, to carry out a web conference with young talented students who are interested in both architecture and SketchUp. The Center for Talent development is based in Evanston, Illinois.

The Center for Talent Development at NorthWestern University is an accredited learning center and research facility that identifies, educates and supports gifted students and their families and serves as a leader in gifted education.

Previous online guests have included renowned architect and original member of the Chicago Seven, Laurence Booth and designer D.J. Stout of the international Pentagram design studio who has just won the coveted Art Director of the year from the Society of Illustrators. So it was a great pleasure and honor to be asked to do this for the Center. The conference was over scene by Loretta Rice, who is the Math/Science Instructor for The Center for Talent Development, Project Excite and Gifted Learning Links, Northwestern University.

Mateo and I prepared an overview of SketchUp together with a live presentation on some of Mateo’s projects both current and past, with a question and answer session at the end. Mateo’s presentation included hotel facilities, domestic developments and also commercial facilities at Dubrovnik International Airport, which are due to open shortly.

We all had a great time and the students there showed a keen interest in SketchUp and its uses in a working design practice and real world situations.  Finally we would just like to say a big thanks to all involved, and that evening after the conference, we were pleasantly surprised to be offered a certificate each and made Honorary Member’s of the Center for Talent Development, International Architectural Society Membership, in recognition of our exceptional contribution.  A great honor and a wonderful way to end the day!

Mateo Soletic’s Presentation

Basically the presentation included some of the projects I am directly involved with, both present and past. The emphasis was of course on Google SketchUp in architecture and interior design. Students at the Center for Talent Development at NorthWestern University are already familiar with the software.

Our mission was to demonstrate its full potential in everyday use at work. How SketchUp can help in better understanding, communicating and securing the project. We used Adobe ConnectNow which was great because it enabled us direct screen-sharing so projects were shown in PDF, PowerPoint and even direct SketchUp files and walk throughs.

Below are some images we would like to share with you that were used and discussed at the web conference that day.

Hotel Project Dubrovnik

Convention Center Dubrovnik

Beach & Marina Project Montenegro

Dubrovnik Airport

Dubrovnik Airport

Dubrovnik Airport

Hotel Project Montenegro

Marina Project Montenegro

Villa Project

Unfortunately 45 minutes turned out to be insufficient to show all the possibilities of SketchUp but  we believe we succeeded in going some way in showing its capabilities in architectural presentation and certainly the reactions to the presentation were positive. Alexandros Centonze, Vice-President & International Liaison CTD International Architectural Society stated after:

“On behalf of the club, I would like to thank you for sharing your time, knowledge and experience with us. It was a very special and inspiring event to have you with us today. Thanks to you, we can now take our designs using SketchUp to the next level!”

Thanks once again on behalf of SketchUpArtists for the opportunity to share some of our experience with you.

James Hannigan (Introduction)

Mateo Soletic (Presentation)