internship2005

internship 2005

Studio Daniel Libeskind

City Tech Students

Helping Daniel Libeskind Develop Master Plan

for Rebuilding Sri Lankan Community Destroyed by Tsunami

Brooklyn, NY -- July 25, 2005 -- For New York City College of Technology (City Tech)

Architectural technology students Bala Balsubramaniam, Sara Cuya and Jawnuta Di Sclafani, an offer last spring to intern with architect Daniel Libeskind was an opportunity they couldn't pass up. What's more, the scope of the project presented a rare opportunity to do more than design a building. It involved rebuilding an entire community and helping hundreds of people rebuild their lives.

From left, Assistant Sri Lanka Project Manager Kevin Teague,

City Tech students Bala Balsubramaniam, Jawnuta Di Sclafani and Sara Cuya,

and Sri Lanka Project Manager Wendy James.

Unawatuna, a small fishing village on Sri Lanka's southern shore and also one of that island country's most beautiful resorts, was largely destroyed by the December 2004 tsunami. About 150 of the village's youngest and oldest inhabitants were killed, and few families were entirely spared the grief of a lost one. Moreover, most of the homes, commercial and community buildings closest to the shoreline were washed away or severely damaged. But amidst the destruction that ravaged vast stretches of oceanfront from the eastern coast of Africa to faraway Indonesia, Unawatuna fared better than most locales -- a European businessman vacationing there committed within hours to do all he could to help rebuild the town. He went on to establish a UK charity, “Unawatuna 2612,” from which Daniel Libeskind accepted a pro bono services commission to undertake the requisite design work. Today, that commitment is taking rapid form at Studio Daniel Libeskind in Lower Manhattan.

During a lecture at City Tech in April, Libeskind announced that his firm had been commissioned to develop the master plan for rebuilding Unawatuna and reached out to City Tech architectural technology students to put their training and talent to use on the project as volunteer interns. Within days Balsubramaniam, Cuya and Di Sclafani were on board and three more City Tech students -- Michael Berko, Rosemary Estrella and Stefan Pinheiro -- joined the group this summer.

“This was a double-blessed opportunity for me,” said Balsubramaniam, a resident of Corona/Queens who was born in Sri Lanka 22 years ago and who came to America at age 14 seeking educational opportunity. “It was a chance to work with one of the world's great designers,” he said, “and, more importantly, an opportunity for me to give something back to my native country and help people in the process.”At Libeskind's studio, Balsubramaniam analyzes letters from Unawatuna survivors who had been asked by the firm to identify their losses and needs. His understanding of Sri Lankan culture and what the writers of the letters are trying to convey through their sometimes less than precisely constructed English is a real plus for the Libeskind team. Balsubramaniam is also an excellent AutoCAD (computer-assisted design) operator and able to incorporate requests from the letters directly into the computer-generated building plans.

Sara Cuya, a resident of Valley Stream, L.I., whose parents are immigrants from Peru, is the first graduate of City Tech's baccalaureate degree program in architectural technology and marched with the Class of 2005 at commencement exercises on June 2. At Studio Daniel Libeskind, Sara first was given lower-level drafting assignment, but was quickly reassigned to create a 3-D model for one of the proposed community buildings when her particular abilities were recognized. In volunteering to help on the project, Cuya turned down two paying jobs. Her plan is to go on for a master's degree in architecture after a year or so as an intern for The City University of New York's Department of Space Planning & Capital Budget. She is one of the first three City Tech students invited to intern with the CUNY operation. “I've learned so much in a short period of time about how to present a project to the client,”Cuya said. “My long-term goal is to become a professor at City Tech and to open up my own architectural firm.”

Jawnuta Di Sclafani was born in Poland and now lives in Franklin Square, L.I. She was chosen for the Libeskind project to assist with building models using a model-making machine linked to the AutoCAD program that she learned at City Tech. She brings superior design skills to the project as well as a remarkable drive toward the architectural profession. ”Working with a first-rate team of professionals is a terrific learning experience,” said Di Sclafani, “and everyone here is so energized by the human dimensions of this project.”

According to Studio Daniel Libeskind Associate Architect Wendy James, who is managing the Sri Lanka Project, the City Tech students have been “incredibly helpful.” The project involves the design of at least 50 homes -- perhaps as many as 100 or more eventually -- plus several public buildings, including a community center and other public spaces. There's a lot of landscape work and the ecological side to the project is huge. “In their first week, they were thrown into the deep end of things, preparing presentation materials that I then took to Sri Lanka and that were well received,” James added. “We've given them a large range of assignments -- drawings, model building, etc. -- and they've been very productive. It's been intense and will continue to be a real marathon. But I've been very impressed by what they've helped us to accomplish so far. City Tech can be pleased with the education it has provided these students and very proud of the work they're doing.”

Professor Robert Zagaroli, the job placement advisor for City Tech's Department of Architectural Technology, couldn't be prouder. “The training in the architectural technology program at City Tech has provided the students the tools required to step right into a high profile architectural design office and to contribute to a master plan project of such considerable proportions. Step in they did without hesitation and they are doing an outstanding job.”

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The largest public college of technology in New York State, New York City College of Technology (City Tech) of The

City University of New York is a recognized national model for urban technological education and a pioneer in

integrating technology into the teaching/learning experience. Located at 300 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn, City

Tech is at the MetroTech Center academic and commercial complex.

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