Look How Far I Have Come

By Shane Healey

When I was growing up as a child, every now and then, my father would show me all his artwork, whether it was with paint, pencil, or pastels. I was amazed at what he could create, and his ability to take an image from his mind and convey it on a piece of paper. I was so intrigued with this, that, when I was nine years old, I had my parents enroll me into art classes on Saturday mornings. I was in art classes for four years, in which we used mediums from oil paints and watercolors, to pens and pencils. We did numerous types of still life drawings, from animals and people, to cars and landscapes, but my favorite thing to draw were houses. To this day I have all the house sketches that I did as a child. In addition, I have my first floor plan, which was dated; I did when I was only twelve years old. This 5,000 square foot design had no hallways, a putt-putt golf course, and only one door; however, it was my dream house.


My love of drawing houses and buildings inspired me to take two Auto CAD and one model building class while in high school. After taking Auto CAD, I liked how you could take a design I have sketched, and turn it into a working drawing that anybody could use to actually build. I liked it so much that I gained my Associates Degree in Auto CAD/ Drafting in 2007, but I knew I wanted to continue and enter an architecture program, eventually becoming an architect and earning money while doing something I loved.

In the summer of 2007, I came to SIUC School of Architecture to continue in my path as an architect. While here, I have learned how to use a number of programs: Microstation, 3Ds Max, Photoshop, Corel Draw, Revit, and Google Sketchup. In addition, I have learned many different architectural topics, such as structures, mechanical, and lighting design, site analysis, concrete, steel, and wood design, and environmental issues. I have also designed in a wide variety of building types, such as churches, apartment buildings, bridges, libraries, breweries, and recreation centers. In the end, I have come a long way from designing a 5,000 square foot dream house with no hallways and only one door.

Photo: http://www.library.dal.ca/duasc/dcmackay/images/129_BrookeHouse.jpg