Auburn students work with industry to design Tomorrow's tools

Auburn University's Studio Build program helps industrial design students in the US to design tools for the future. The Studio Build program is initiated as part of the Center for Construction Innovation and Collaboration in the McWhorter School of Building Science. Industrial- design and building-science students research and develop new tools under the program, which are specifically designed for the construction industry. The program has 31 participants, including undergraduate and graduate students. End-user surveys and feedback have generated many original design concepts in the program, ranging from ergonomic masonry trowels to Velcro heating wraps for PVC pipe. Steve Williams, director of the Center for Construction Innovation and Collaboration, cites these projects as examples of the interdisciplinary creativity fostered by the program.