Architectural Grille is an entirely operating manufacturing facility that specializes in customized linear bar grilles and perforated grille using a wide variety of materials. Their products are uniquely created using only “state of the art” equipment like water jets, lasers, and CNC turret shapers and lathes. The main focus of the company is to create unique designs and distribute them on metal plates which are used in mainly ventilation and heating systems. Their utilized materials include aluminum, brass, bronze, steel and stainless steel.
The Architectural Grille club at WHSAD is fully operated by Alain Codio, Senior teacher of WHSAD Architecture and Autocad. The following is a list of interviews with all the Architectural Grille club members.
This first interview is with Oliver Whitson, junior.
What is it that you do at Architectural Grille?
At Architectural Grille, basically, we create shapes using specified objects like punching holes and create pictures using those shapes.
Are you developing any skills that you think will benefit you in the future?
“Yes, especially since being in architectural grille, we use AutoCad to create designs which we have learned to use from our architecture classes.”
Andre Rose, senior.
What are some projects that you’re doing now?
“City skyline, a who-am-I project, and there’s a secret project coming soon.”
Do you think being a part of this will help you in the future?
“Yes I do, being that I will eventually go into architecture after I graduate.”
Are you developing any skills that you think will benefit you in the future?
“Actually yes being that my career is going to be based off what we’re going now so I feel like with working with Codio more after school allows to learn off from it.”
Leins Barthe, sophomore.
What is your role at Architectural Grille?
“At Architectural Grille, we come up with designs we want, then recreate them in AutoCad. After that is complete, we go to the Architectural Grille company to engrave the metal designs and cut it out.”
Are you currently working on any important projects?
“At this current time, Mr.Codio wants the students an engravement for the center table in the computer room which is Mr.Codio’s classroom, that represents the school.”
Do you think being a part of this club will help you in the future?
“I believe that taking part in this program will greatly benefit because of the number of hours I have put into this and the more extracurricular means, the better my college application.”
Alain Codio, Architectural Grille club leader.
What is the main purpose of the Architectural Grille club?
“One of the main reasons, there are various reasons, but it’s to show students the industry side of design, like the architectural components, where the architectural components are created. For example, Architectural Grille’s main purpose is to create grille for structural components of a building such as the Hvac covers, the heating covers as well as the floor coverings where ventilation mostly occurred throughout the building. Understanding design components, how we have evolved over the past decade or so in terms of design, design grilles have also evolved, especially in Architectural Grille, not only do they focus on grilles but they also focus on different types of metal fabrications such as wall partitions, art installation in places like Disney and also using different architects’ designs to showcase how they are part of the architecture design components.”
Do you think students will be able to use this in the future?
“Oh, yes! One of the things I wanted to change in the students’ mindsets was what materials could be used for their designs. Before they were just entrusting in the chipboard and modeling on the computer, but they had to realize how they can take their designs and actually showcase them on different types of materials such as metal, steel, wood, and stone. Students can use different variations of these materials especially those who love art. Architectural Grille, being the metal fabrication company that it is, deals with art, so the work could really help students.”
If the students apply the work to their needs and what they want to use the work for because, even though Architectural Grille mainly focuses on creating grilles, students can actually utilize skills for other purposes such as shelving design, such as showcasing their work by engraving imagery by cutting out various artwork that they have produced onto a sheet of metal, wood, or stone. They even have the opportunity to build furniture from the metal that’s used at architectural grille, and they understand that they could have a different sense of usage for it as opposed to what architectural grille uses the material for.”
What are some important projects the students are working on?
“Well, in the past, at first students were working on designing grilles to understand the process of creating covers for heating or ventilation systems, use different patterns, understanding basic math that involves using the space required that allows air to flow through either cold or hot. Then, refer to what kind of designs that can be created. For example, students have created shelving systems, skateboard racks, as well as coat racks. Students have also expressed their emotions on the grille itself like being able to cut out imagery, faces of themselves and writing components- improving literacy and be able to show people what they can do, what their thought process is, onto a grille or a metal structure.”
“Students actually utilized the grilles to showcase different designs for the art festival in the form of light boxes so that they can experience how jazz has evolved over the last year, by using what they learned at architectural grille and architecture classes at WHSAD, they are able to combine both and create a sort of structure to represent the jazz festival. Students also used it for black history month to create different quotes as well as engrave several architects of influence over the past decade or so. So, it varies in terms of the purpose but that is what students have been doing thus far.”
How has this benefitted the school or community?
“It has helped students understand what type of industry partners we are able to have, to give the opportunity to see that a company such as Architectural Grille not only focuses on just themselves but they want to help the students. It not only allows students to understand how Architectural Grille works but enables them to have internship opportunities as well. Students will be able to understand how vast architecture is. It’s not just a simple component of designing a building but all the components that make up a building.”
Were there any field trips in the past or upcoming?
“Yes, there are numerous of field trips taken not only to Architectural Grille but all the projects that they have with Architectural Grille such as the Department of Buildings, and various architecture firms to see how the installation process takes place and also see how it’s being utilized not only for grille to cover a certain about of space but to view it in art installations and to see it created in a form that is outside the box.”
