2024 Timber Framers Guild Conference

Arron Sturgis

Preservation Timber Framing, Founder

Arron Sturgis has been timber framing for over 30 years. He learned his trade from Jan Lewandoski working hand-in-hand with him on covered bridges, church steeples, and other significantly framed structures. He learned by doing and working closely with others. Arron has always had a passion for historic preservation and traditional timber framing. He runs a crew of twenty from his shop in Maine; it is a collaborative bunch with a variety of skillsets that allows the company to take a holistic approach to its projects. They are a teaching crew, and each member is expected to share their expertise with their fellow crew members.

Each summer the crew grows with interns from all walks of life. Some interns are high school age and just testing the timber frame waters. Others are receiving a masters in historic preservation, and still others are getting their certificates from the North Bennett Street School in Boston, Massachusetts, or chasing a Bachelor of Science degree at the American College of the Building Arts in Charleston, South Carolina.

Arron serves on two not-for-profit boards that advocate for historic preservation: Maine Preservation and the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. Both serve their respective states regarding best practices for historic preservation. Both organizations and Arron collaborate to mentor interns each year. They have done so for over fifteen years in Maine. He is a TTRAG member and has been since its inception. Arron believes in "immersion learning" where one learns by doing, guided and supported by those who may know more than you do.

www.preservationtimberframing.com

Presentation

Immersion Learning in Traditional Timber Framing: Interns, Cool Buildings, How and What to Teach
What is Immersion Learning? Immersion learning is the learning you must do to perfect your craft. Somewhere, someplace, everyone gets an opportunity to soak up knowledge and then use that knowledge to better themselves. Nowhere does learning take place if you are not willing to listen, observe, and practice. Immersion learning is fun, engaging, and not easy. It happens when you “get in the grove” and time slips away as you absorb the knowledge you were destined to understand.

How does immersion learning occur? Immersion learning is intentional. It cannot occur haphazardly. It is in real time, in the real world, and it deals with real challenges that are ongoing whether you know what to do or not. Immersion learning is never done on a volunteer basis. The teacher pays his student to learn. The student must understand
that they are being paid to ask questions, become proficient, and remain productive on the job. The teacher becomes student in many cases.

This session will explore immersion learning and ask the questions "How can companies incorporate immersion learning into their workforce? What tools need to be in place? What commitment must be made?"