Our summer highlight at TLCD is welcoming students from the Mike Hauser Academy into our office for two days of hands-on learning, creativity, and exploration. As a proud partner of the Academy’s STEM program for more than a decade, we look forward each year to introducing incoming ninth-grade students to the world of architecture, interior design, and the many career opportunities within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry.
Throughout the program, students discovered that architecture is much more than designing buildings. It involves understanding people, solving challenges, and creating spaces that strengthen communities. Guided by architects, interior designers, and technical professionals, students gained firsthand insight into the collaborative process behind every successful project.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Architects and Designers
The experience blended creativity with technology through interactive presentations, architectural drawing exercises, office tours, and hands-on design activities. Students learned how architects communicate ideas through sketches, plans, elevations, scale drawings, and perspective before exploring the digital tools used to bring those ideas to life. A behind-the-scenes look at TLCD’s design studio introduced students to Building Information Modeling (BIM), Revit/Enscape, and virtual reality, demonstrating how these technologies enhance collaboration and help visualize spaces long before construction begins.
Working alongside TLCD team members, students also explored how mathematics, creativity, and communication come together throughout the design process. From measuring spaces and drawing to scale to learning about proportion and spatial relationships, each activity reinforced the connection between STEM education and architecture while encouraging students to think critically and solve problems creatively.
The program culminated in a collaborative design challenge that gave students the opportunity to step into the role of architects. Working in small design teams, they imagined and created their own Ideal Hangout Space, developing concepts, sketching ideas, constructing scale models, and presenting their designs to classmates. The challenge showed that teamwork, communication, and iteration are essential, and that the most innovative ideas emerge from collaboration and openness to new ideas.
The most meaningful part of the experience wasn’t the drawings or the models—it was the conversations. Throughout the two days, students met architects, interior designers, and designers from across TLCD who shared their career paths, answered questions, and encouraged students to pursue their interests with curiosity and confidence. By connecting classroom learning with real-world experience, the program helps students envision future careers while demonstrating how thoughtful design can make a lasting impact on people’s lives.
Programs like Mike Hauser Academy reflect TLCD’s commitment to investing in the next generation of designers, engineers, and creative thinkers. By opening our doors and sharing our passion for design, we hope to inspire students to see how architecture can make a meaningful impact on the communities where we live, learn, work, and play.
Thank you to the TLCD contributing team members and our partners at the Mike Hauser Academy for helping make this another memorable year!