Professor Tim Haats from the School of Industrial Design has partnered with BRP – a global leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of powersport vehicles and marine products – to support fourth year industrial design students with their capstone projects. The theme for this year’s projects, co-developed by BRP and Professor Haats, is “Overlanding Adventures”.
Overlanding is an adventurous recreational activity involving self-reliant travel to remote or unfamiliar destinations over extended periods of time, often utilizing off-road capable vehicles and relying on camping as the principal form of lodging. It is an activity that is all about exploration with a focus on the travel experience and the overall journey – something that resonates strongly with BRP’s purpose as a company, and a great prospect for exciting capstone design projects.
This past month, the students working under this theme, along with Professor Haats, hit the road to visit the BRP Laurent Beaudoin Design and Innovation Centre in Valcourt, Quebec. Here, the students were given a tour of the design studio and prototyping facilities, exposed to the design philosophy and innovation culture at BRP, and provided the opportunity to present their developing capstone projects to BRP designers for feedback in a professional environment. It was a great trip resulting in an invaluable experience.
“It was amazing to see inside this large company with many designers and the huge variety of products that people were working on while we were there. We got to see their design process, from concept sketches, through various levels of prototype fidelity, to full scale working models. I loved learning about the future-facing design philosophy at BRP, and getting valuable feedback on my Capstone Project. I am really looking forward to our future meetings with BRP and collaborating further as we get into the prototyping phase of our projects.”
– Tommy Wiwchar, Fourth Year Industrial Design Student
With another intense semester ahead, Professor Haats and the students look forward to the continued support from the BRP team and the resulting success of the projects.
Monday, December 12, 2022 in General
Share: Twitter, Facebook