NUHS student recognized

for his skill in architecture

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- One local high school senior not only found his niche, but he was also one of three students from throughout the state who received recognition for his talents.

Tyson Goold, a senior at New Ulm High School, was recently accepted into the architecture and engineering program at North Dakota State University, Fargo, which will take five and half years to complete.

"It is not a typical college program, because it is more focused than general college," he said.

He was one of three students state-wide chosen to do a 5-month, 450-hour learning project, with the help of B.R.W. Architects of Minneapolis.

"Prior to beginning the study, we drove around and looked at various types of architecture to get a few ideas," Goold said. "I really enjoy architecture, but it isn't offered during the senior year here. This was a good program for me."

When the project began, the students were assigned the project of developing a fictional plot of land, making sure the retail, residential and manufacturing areas were well defined and present on the plan, Goold said.

"We were given four sheets of instructions, which included two sheets explaining what people want in a community, parking regulations and a rule sheet," he said. "We were told we couldn't change the water or remove the existing groves of oak trees, although we were left on our own regarding the other trees."

The development, known as Breezy Lake, could only contain two access roads, and there had to be accommodations made for potential future growth opportunities, he said.

Beginning in October, Goold attended one meeting a month to learn various aspects of architecture. Each month participants learned something new, and they also learned how to defend their choices.

"The things I learned are not things I would have learned in the classroom," he said. "One thing I learned was how to take constructive criticism. I received a lot of help throughout the process from the high school."

He contacted area businesses to get an idea of parking needs, size, and other aspects, and developed a packet of information. Using the computer-aided drafting program at school, he developed his overall project.

"The program is not set up to do trees, so that took a lot of work," he said. "I spent about 40 hours with colored pencils coloring the completed plan, because color wasn't available on the program."

Throughout the process, he developed hand drawings and a preliminary plan he presented to gain feedback on improvements.

The final project contains 750,000 square feet of retail space; 200,000 square feet of park and recreation space; and 2,108,530 square feet of residential space, which is the equivalent of 137 housing lots.

"I learned a lot, and it was a great experience overall," he said. "I was able to spend about three hours per day of school time working on this as well, and the teachers were always there to help."

The architecture firm financed the program, provided special paper and presentation boards, as well as helping to offset the cost of the colored pencils, he said.

Upon completion of the project, Goold received a certificate of completion, a letter of recommendation and an outline containing his strengths and weaknesses.

"I enjoyed reading the outline, because it gave me ideas for improvement and will make me a better architect in the long run," Goold said. "It helped me look at the big picture and develop in a way that looked toward the future. I also learned how to develop estimate job sheets."

He took architecture class in the ninth and 10th grade, where he designed houses. He talked his advisor into letting him enroll, and he is currently working on his third house, which will be his best yet, he admits.

"Landscape architecture is the most challenging, and it is an area I am very interested in pursuing," Goold said.

One flaw in his project, which he received criticism for, was that he had so many houses along the lake, limiting access to others in town. He admits that he likes more houses than anything else.

"I gained the way it made me look at things, which gave me a new perspective," he said. "I learned how to look at designs rather than houses."