BSBG attends AUS Six Degrees graduate showcase

Words by BSBG Media Team, Sunday 20 May 2018

BSBG Senior Design Architect, Roxanne Djaiji, was in attendance at the Six Degrees exhibition, hosted at Dubai Design District (d3), where graduating students of the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) at American University of Sharjah (AUS) showcased their creative work to the public.

The exhibition displayed work from students graduating from one of the five undergraduate disciplines offered at CAAD; architecture, interior design, visual communication, multimedia design, and design management, as well as the graduate programme in urban planning.

The event is held annually, and is attended by industry representatives and decision makers; testament to the reputation AUS enjoys across the UAE as one of the leading higher education facilities in the country.

Roxanne attended AUS herself, completing the five-year bachelor’s programme in architecture, before beginning a career which has seen her now become a Senior Design Architect at BSBG. She told us that her experience at AUS equipped her with the skills necessary to work for one of the world’s leading architectural practices from an early stage. “As an alumni of CAAD myself, I left the university with the correct balance between the architecture we build and between the surreal architecture we strive for.

“AUS is one of the top universities in the region, the Bachelor of Architecture programme is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) of the United States, the only organisation authorised to accredit professional degree programmes in architecture in the US. This is the first programme outside of North America to receive this prestigious accreditation.”

The reputation CAAD has for producing top architects who have gone on to successful careers throughout the region is also down to the resources they have at their disposal, both in terms of teaching and facilities, as Roxanne explains: “The university has many of the top faculty and professors and all the latest technology, such as 3D printers, robots, CNC machines and laser cutters, for example. This allows the students to further explore and test all their creations, gaining a unique perspective in architecture and design. The resources and support provided for them to experiment with and use on a daily basis is extraordinary. Further to designing with traditional means such as exploring sculptures and 3D cardboard models, they are pushing the boundaries and exploring with real building materials and construction techniques.”

The Six Degrees Exhibition

In terms of the work on show at the exhibition, Roxanne was suitably impressed, and also spoke of the potential for future collaboration with the university based upon the quality of work on display. “The standard of work I found was very advanced and really was of the highest quality. Much of the work I saw showed levels of imagination and creativity that we should always strive for in design; particularly as in the formative times of one’s career there are no real boundaries imposed on what can be created. BSBG is definitely very interested in the potential for future collaboration with AUS, and we see the university as being one of the outstanding educational facilities within our industry, with a track record of producing highly skilled graduates who generally go on to excel in their chosen profession.”

American University of Sharjah (AUS) was founded in 1997 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah. Sheikh Sultan’s vision was to develop a distinctive institution against the backdrop of Islamic history and in the context of the aspirations and needs of contemporary society in the UAE and the Gulf. Since its establishment, AUS has cultivated a string reputation in the UAE for academic excellence, first rate teaching and research.

BSBG already works alongside and collaborates with a number of leading educational facilities, including the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) in London, The Bartlett School of Architecture, Canadian University Dubai, the American University in Dubai, and the Architectural Technology and Construction Management (ATCM) programme managed by UCN Denmark, hosted at HCMC University of Architecture in Vietnam.

For more information about internship opportunities or to find out what it's like to work for one of Dubai's top architecture firms, you can contact us directly, or follow our LinkedIn page to ensure you don't miss out on any of our updates and new job opportunities.

BSBG Media Team

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