The Barrydowne team is thrilled to welcome Sydney Sheppard one of two outstanding co-op students from the McEwen School of Architecture who is gaining some valuable in-store experience this summer. Come by, say hi and prepare to be dazzled by this amazing young women’s energy, enthusiasm and expertise.
Sudbury resident Sydney Sheppard’s passion for building the North and academic excellence earned her this year’s Northeastern Ontario Construction Association’s (NOCA) Scholarship, awarded annually to a first-year student at McEwen School of Architecture.
“I'm very grateful that the NOCA award has given me an opportunity to meet people in the construction field and connect with business partners,” Sydney says. “From a professional standpoint, it’s definitely important to team with partners like NOCA so that we can develop good working relationships and meet the needs of the greater community.”
Although she is already planning to get her Master’s degree, Sydney wants to explore the full range of future options, possible locations and inspiring experiences before choosing a major. One of those experiences, she says, is being able to work with customers at Barrydowne Paint this summer.
“During my co-op, I’m looking forward to helping our customers bring their own vision of bringing a project to life and supporting them with the concepts and design strategies I’ve learned,” says Sydney. “I try to bring enthusiasm to what we do and really enjoy expressing my own creativity in my role as a colour consultant.”
On the “a ha” moment she discovered her career path: “Before considering architecture, I was heavily inspired by my father who designed machinery every day in his job as an engineer. I was amazed by the concept of transforming an idea into a reality. It wasn't until I took a tour of the school of architecture where I realized the students could experience just that, with the freedom to express their own creativity. After the tour, I knew I wanted to be a part of this amazing school.”
On building her own design style: “During my first year, I became really inspired by buildings that use natural light as a focal point in the structure, as well as the use of natural materials. I'm interested in structures that have a free-flowing shape in response to their surroundings in nature.”
On seeking inspiration in nature: “I feel most inspired to sketch or paint when I'm at my camp, or sitting by the water and experiencing my surroundings. I also enjoy exploring the works of architects and their thought processes through sketches.”
On finding inspiration 5,000 kilometers from home: “I had an opportunity to travel to Nicaragua to live alongside the locals and witness how innovative they are in relation to their environmental resources. I saw an impressive and energy-efficient way of living, including a completely-solar operated restaurant! The experience showed me that environmental elements can heavily impact architecture, and that we can create structures to respond to natural surroundings rather than be apart from it.”
