Materials classes travel west for direct look at projects made real

Two sections of Robert A. Wozniak Jr.'s Building Materials II class recently visited Reynolds Iron Works, a century-old business just a few miles west of Penn College's main campus.

The class is structured to reinforce what students know about the Construction Specifications Institute Master Format system, in which all building materials are classified/organized under multiple division titles and related section subcategories.

The Reynolds visit followed discussions of Division 05 – metals – and allowed the classes to learn firsthand about the shop drawings produced by architectural and/or structural engineers, and how they're used in the creation of actual projects. The classes then toured the fabrication area to see various real-world products, including structural steel components and miscellaneous other work.

Reynolds Iron Works is represented at Penn College by the columns and beams that create the skeletal frame of many campus buildings, by the miscellaneous steel used in lintels that support the masonry above door and window openings, and by the handrails and guards on stairways. "Getting students off campus is always valuable, and our appreciation goes out to those that worked with us at Reynolds Iron Works," said Wozniak, associate professor of architecture.