Caribbean School of Architecture Boosts Capacity for Digitization with Donation of Large Frame Scanner
Dr. Garfield Young (left), Dean, Faculty of The Built Environment, University of Technology, Jamaica and Mr. Lloyd Carney, Chancellor, UTech, Jamaica cut the ribbon marking the official handing over and commissioning of a state-of-the-art large frame scanner donated to the Faculty by the Chancellor. The handing over of the equipment was held on Monday, September 18, 2023, at the Archives of the Caribbean School of Architecture (CSA), FOBE at the University’s Papine Campus.
The capacity to digitize important artefacts including architectural drawings done by students of the University of Technology, Jamaica’s Caribbean School of Architecture, Faculty of The Built Environment, (FOBE) has been significantly boosted with the donation of a state-of-the art large frame scanner. The new equipment, which was recently commissioned into use, was officially unveiled at a handing over ceremony on Monday, September 18, 2023, at the Faculty’s Library Archives, Papine Campus.
The modern large format scanner which is also a printer and plotter and valued at US $5,000, was gifted by Mr. Lloyd Carney, UTech, Jamaica Chancellor in response to his first-hand observations of the pressing need and the special appeal made by CSA Archivist and Lecturer, Mrs. Salema Oti during his inaugural campus visit and tour of the Faculty in September 2022.
Acknowledging the significant gift to the Faculty, Dr. Garfield Young, Dean in his welcome, noted the importance of digitization in preserving the architectural works of students and staff coming out of research and major projects. Noting that The CSA is regionally and internationally recognized by the Commonwealth Association of Architects and has been repeatedly validated, most recently in 2022 for a period of five years, the Dean pointed to the importance of archiving in relation to maintaining accreditation standards in the School.
Chancellor Carney specially in his remarks thanked Arch. Otti for identifying the critical need, while emphasizing that all educational institutions in Jamaica need similar help and funding. In noting that government cannot do it alone and neither can the funding provided by students’ tuition, Mr. Carney invited partners in private sector and the wider community to also lend similar support to the university.
“There is a real opportunity here for persons to realize that there is a need here on campus and all across Jamaica…and so hopefully this (donation) will springboard further philanthropy and giving,” he stated, adding that a modern 3D Lab should be the next step in expanding capacity within the Faculty.
UTech, Jamaica President, Dr. Kevin Brown, in his remarks thanked the Chancellor for his gift and “for being exemplary in showing our friends, our alumni and well-wishers that we need the support,” adding that “the Chancellor is showing this not just as our Chancellor but as a private citizen and someone wo wants to see the university develop.” Underscoring that “architecture is all around us and so what we are doing here really matters to nation building,” Dr. Brown used the opportunity to reiterate the university’s commitment to providing students with an excellent teaching and learning experience inclusive of the required state of the art equipment.
The CSA Archives houses physical architectural works, design products, models, sketchbooks, historical documents, drawings, slides historic architectural drawings from as far back as the 1970s.
Students, researchers and external stakeholders from any location in the world can now reap greater benefit from access to the digitized prints enabled by the new large format machine.
- Contact: Michelle A Beckford
- Corporate Communications Manager
- University of Technology, Jamaica
- Telephone: (876) 970-5299/818-5893
- Email: mbeckford@utech.edu.jm