Nearly 40 custom-made ductwork fittings created by St. Marys high school students will be used in the construction of a six-storey, 86-unit condominium building in Guelph.

Grade 11 and 12 students in St. Marys District Collegiate Institute’s manufacturing and technology program recently completed a classroom project that saw them work with Wellington Sheet Metal Ltd., a Guelph-based sheet-metal company, to produce ductwork pieces that will be used in the condo’s construction.

“I’ve always been looking for someone to do a project with where my students could actually build something that’s going to go into a building and not just a project that they’re going to do here and take home for themselves,” said Chris Huber, a manufacturing and technology teacher at the St. Marys high school.

Having previously worked for Wellington Sheet Metal, Huber used his connections at the company to arrange for the students to contribute to the condo’s construction, which will be located near the Sleeman’s Brewery.

“They had to make a bunch of ductwork, and there were a lot that were the same, so it worked out perfect. … They could give me a large number of fittings that need to be made, and I brought it in here and had the students make every piece,” Huber said. “They all made the same one. They basically built a piece of ductwork that’s going into the building and being used in the actual duct system.”

Huber said he took both his classes through laying out the pattern on a flat piece of sheet metal, machine-cutting the ductwork pieces from that template, measuring and cutting the pieces for the 90-degree elbows, welding the seams, and putting it all together. After that, both Huber and the students reviewed their work for quality control.

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