Interns learn "multiple ways to be an architect" at AIA HQ renewal

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["em"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/articles\/6420077-aias-hbcu-internship-program-future-archit"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ehdd.com\/","target","_new"]],["strong"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/Ch2WdiUga4c\/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=","target","_blank"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Image: Interns from left - Bianca Bryce, Florida A\u0026M University; Soleil Sipes, Prairie View A\u0026M University; Nia Baptiste, Howard University; Guillaume Atanga, University of the District of Columbia; Nailah Salley, Howard University; Shahada Allah, Hampton University; Pamela Medrano-Otero, University of the District of Columbia"],[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"AIA is in the midst of a substantial renewal of its\nheadquarters in Washington, D.C. and seven students from five Historically\nBlack Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with NAAB-accredited architecture\nprograms\u2014Howard University, University of the District of Columbia, Prairie\nView A\u0026M University, Florida A\u0026M University, and Hampton\nUniversity\u2014served as interns on the project this summer, with a unique twist on\ntheir roles and what the internship provides."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The primarily virtual six-week internship program builds\nupon "],[0,[1],1,"the inaugural 2021 program."],[0,[],0," \nThis year the interns engaged in every aspect of the design process\u2013from\nstakeholder engagement to contract document preparation, decarbonization plans\nto budget management."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cLast year we were early in the design, we were tackling\nsome big questions. But it\u2019s a year later now so now it\u2019s more of the details,\nthe nuances, and making sure that we haven\u2019t value engineered out things that\nare important to the client,\u201d said Matthew Welker, Assoc. AIA, Director, sustainable\nmetrics \u0026 operations at AIA \u201cThe nature of the conversation is different\nbecause we\u2019re in later design when last year we were in early design.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Collaborating closely with San Francisco-based architecture\nfirm "],[0,[2],1,"EHDD"],[0,[],0,", which is leading the headquarters renovation project, the interns are\nlearning about some of the lesser-considered elements of being an architect, rather\nthan just focusing on the design of the building."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Interns met twice a week virtually, either in collaborative\nworkshops or question-and-answer sessions with key stakeholders involved in the\nrenovation project, including AIA EVP\/CEO Lakisha Ann Woods, CAE and landscape\narchitect Walter Hood \nwho is working on the renovation project. Project-specific workshop focused on\nkey topics related to the building renovation like how sustainability is\ncrucial to the project, a look at budgeting and pricing and examining tough\ndecisions that bring the project back into budget, and a deep-dive into\nconstruction details for the proposed fa\u00e7ade. Student also gained valuable\nprofessional development knowledge related to licensure, building a brand, and\nthe importance of networks."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The internship culminated with a final presentation,\nattended by several of the HBCU deans and faculty members. Doris Guerrero, AIA,\ndirector of interiors at EHDD called the presentations \u201cdidactic\u201d and \u201cclear\u201d\nabout the things the students learned this summer and the feedback they\nprovided. "]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThey understand the opportunities they received and are\nvery self-realized and motivated to keep going. They\u2019re leaders, they\u2019re not\ngoing to be leaders, they already are\u201d - Doris Guerrero, AIA,\ndirector of interiors at EHDD "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Bianca Bryce, an architecture student at Florida A\u0026M University,\nsaid that the program gave her \u201ca lot of insight\u201d into what it takes to be an\narchitect and how relationships and projects manifest. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThere are many things that you need to think about when it\ncomes to building a building, or even renovating a building. We get a little\ntaste of that during architecture school when you have to showcase problem\nsolving skills on projects, but it\u2019s completely different when there\u2019s an\nactual building that you are helping to build,\u201d said Bryce. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"As part of the program, the students met at the headquarters\nin Washington for a chance to meet people involved with the project, spend time\nwith their fellow interns, and flex their networking muscles at AIAS Grassroots.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cMy initial perception was that maybe working in a more\ncorporate environment might not be for me, but after going to Washington and\nexperiencing a taste of it I thought that I might actually like this,\u201d said\nBryce. \u201cI love what AIA is doing with the renovation in terms of sustainability\nand bringing some greenery into the city.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Guillaume Atanga, an architecture student at the University\nof the District of Columbia, who recently moved to the United States from\nCameroon, said the experience of \u201cbeing exposed to a professional level of\narchitecture\u201d was valuable for him. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cArchitecture is so much more than just \u2018oh here\u2019s a new\nbuilding that\u2019s going here,\u2019 it\u2019s about looking deeper. Why do you want this\nfeature in the building? Is the design sustainable enough? Seeing how AIA asks\nand answers all those questions really provided me an amazing opportunity.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Both Bryce and Atanga see their futures in architecture as a\nway to help make the world a more equitable place."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI want to make sure I have a purpose beyond just working to\nbuild buildings, I want to be able to help people,\u201d said Bryce, adding that she\nthinks working at a more intimate firm may help her be able to help solve\nlocalized problems related to inequity in the community that she lives in. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Atanga agreed, surmising that studying architecture is a way\nto give back to his home country. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI can go back to my country and look at what we\u2019re missing.\nFor example, we don\u2019t have metro transportations, so I want to look at that and\nsee if I can come up with a project to figure out how we can help people get\naround,\u201d he said. \u201cCan I help bring a more sustainable school back home? I want\nto be able to share my skills with my community and I hope to be able to do\nthat in the future.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[3],1,"The \u201cunique\nand rich perspective\u201d of HBCU\u2019s"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"When EHDD and Guerrero were programming the internship, they\nwere motivated by making the students \u201cdesign partners\u201d and not just \u201ca\nhierarchical typical internship.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cHBCU students have a unique and rich perspective on design\nculture, politics, and aesthetics. Their involvement makes the conversation\nmuch richer. It challenges practitioners and those richer conversations make\nricher designs,\u201d said Guerrero. \u201cHaving the perspective of these students from HBCU students has made me\nthink about this project more expansively.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Simi Stanford, a student at the University of the District\nof Columbia who participated in the internship in 2021 and now has an\ninternship with Turner Construction, the construction manager of the project,\nthinks that HBCU\u2019s bring a unique perspective towards design. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cHBCU\u2019s operate like a family, the professors really want to\nsee the students grow and succeed, and I think that helps give a lot of\nstudents, especially design students, a way of placing their personality and\nlife experiences within design,\u201d said Stanford. \u201cA lot of times you\u2019re taught\nto separate the two, but I think HBCU\u2019s combine that well and that helps the\nworld of design.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"During the duration of the internship, students discussed\nand contrasted their coursework, experience in studio, and their assignments noting\n both similarities and differences in\ntheir learning experiences. This led to students identifying new concepts,\nmethods and perspectives that they will bring back to their respective schools\nfor the upcoming semester. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Guerrero views young practitioners and interns as \u201cthe\ngenesis of new and fresh ideas for our practice.\u201d She calls the benefit of\nthese younger perspectives \u201cpriceless,\u201d and viewed this internship as a\n\u201cknowledge share,\u201d where EHDD shared professional expertise and the interns\nshared their design expertise and vision. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThis model of internship is really unique because it was\nborn out a hybrid necessity,\u201d she said. \u201cThis summer was successful because it\nbuilt upon a lot of the successes of last summer but also gave us some design\nmeat to sink our teeth into. We really used this project as an opportunity for\ndialogue with the students.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"For example, students brought different recommendations\naround \u201ccolor, texture, and accessibility,\u201d of the project and Guerrero said\nthat these ideas \u201cwill be addressed in the next few weeks as we\u2019re developing\nfurther details of the project.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Students also gave suggestions for some cost-saving\nendeavors, like multi-purposing some of the spaces in the new building. \u201cThese\nare practical and creative ways to solve some of the very real issues that\nwe\u2019re addressing,\u201d said Guerrero."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThis internship demonstrates that there are multiple ways of being an architect,\u201d said Welker, adding that some architects are exceptional project managers, some specialize in business development and relationship management, and some specialize in design. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThose are all\nvalid ways of practicing architecture, and for these students, a lot of them\nnever realized the amount of work or opportunity that exists outside of just\ndesign,\u201d Welker added. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"For more student\nperspectives on the internship, AIA put together an Instagram Reel from their day\nin Washington D.C., watch it "],[0,[4],1,"here"],[0,[],0,". "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n"]]]]}