Starting Fresh...

My first day interning at the firm was unbelievable. I came prepared, my sponsor came prepared, but neither of us was too prepared. We both sat down and discussed where we thought we wanted to take this. We went over the plan we had for answering my essential question and then we discussed some specific ideas for how to implement that plan. This morning, we decided that I’m going to work on designing a hotel. What’s cool about this project is that although my designs will be only for the purpose of this Hawken Project, the hotel is a project that is already in motion so I will get to see how things play out for real. After discussing how this could have the potential of not only being an amazing project to present, but also an amazing project for my experience in general, I got right to work.

              

The plan we initially had was essentially to skim the architectural design process. I want to answer my question of what the general process looks like that architects go through but I only have three weeks to do it. Our plan is good because what we want to do is create a simple (fake) idea and then watch the (real) idea play out in the real world. I would work on an idea of mine and do initial sketches. I’d observe architects throughout the firm and see how there similar ideas advance. I’ll visit the sites of the (real) designs to see how pencil and paper turns into bricks and mortar. The firm is large and many projects are continually being worked on at the same time, so my resources here would make my essential question fairly easy to answer as long as I’m willing to do the work and make the necessary connections.

                

Again, I decided today that I will begin to design a (fake) hotel in the downtown Cleveland Civic Center Mall. This project fits perfectly into our initial, rough plan because the hotel is a project that is currently in motion. I will get to make my designs early on, and then later I will get to see the real ones be built in the Civic Center Mall. Overall, this project lets me explore and do independent work, but it also puts me in a professional setting and gives me the resources to do a good job and produce something truly amazing. I’m excited to see where this project takes me.  In my first blog, I mentioned how I was excited to jump right in. I’m happy to see that that seems to be exactly what I’m doing.