LATTC’s Carpentry Program Builds a Chicken Coop for Culinary Arts

Left: LATTC Carpentry Instructor Mr. Alan Wagenbach (far left) with the college’s team of 20 carpentry student participants; Right: the team’s finished chicken coop.

During the weekend of April 10–12, 2024, 20 LATTC Carpentry students headed town to Golden West College in Huntington Beach to compete in the Southern California Construction Industry Education Foundation (CIEF) Design Build Competition. During the annual two-day competition, student teams worked to build a 96 square-foot structure from carefully planned designs and construction documents which were prepared in advance. Teams were judged by industry professionals on the completion of design, construction, code compliance, and safety.  

The CIEF competition in action at Golden West College on April 10–12.

In recent years, the competition has focused on building with a purpose and has charged teams with donating their structures back to their local communities. At LATTC, with its nine career technical and transfer pathways, there’s no shortage of synergistic opportunities. The college's Carpentry program decided to build a chicken coop that will be donated to LATTC’s Culinary Arts pathway in hopes that the programs can raise free range organic eggs. 

Currently, the chicken coop sits outside of the campus’s E2 Construction, Maintenance & Utilities (CMU) Building with great expectation. The CMU pathway plans to put some final touches on the coop, including a coat of red and white paint to give it the look of an old school barn.  

The coop features hinged doors for easy cleaning and nesting boxes for egg collecting. 

LATTC’s chicken coop structure is up for the Southern California Design Build Competition’s People’s Choice Award! Cast your vote before voting closes on Friday, April 19, 2024 at 8 am.