A question that is typically asked to new employees and clients in our firm is, “What are buildings made of”? I begin here, because it is the answer to this question that I feel describes what our profession is and what an internship needs to aspire to.

As an intern, we are introduced into a culture shock from what we learned in school to what we as professionals are asked to do on a daily basis. It is my opinion that this transition becomes the determining factor in the success and potential contributions to society that we as future architects need to excel to. Typically this transition is difficult because we are taught design for five years of our lives and once we begin our careers, the design portion is minimal. We spend the next three years trying to educate ourselves in the reality of architecture so we can make the next step. It is my opinion the biggest hurdle in this process towards licensure, is the minimal understanding of construction materials and methods.

In the first two years of my internship I spent a large amount of time drawing construction documents, and other office type activities. I occasionally made field visits with various architects in the office to assist in acquiring the necessary hours needed to meet my IDP
requirements, but no focus was spent understanding the transformation of the paper drawing to the reality of a structure. It was not until I started having greater project management responsibilities that I realized the importance of construction knowledge. I learned more during the first six months of my first project than in all the time up till that point. I contribute this insight to the fact that I was experiencing the things I had studied and drawn on paper becoming a reality. I began to see what worked and what needed modifications.

It was with this experience that I came to the same conclusion that many institutions are beginning to implement into their curriculum. Student and interns need to have some sort of hands on training to learn materials and methods. With the exposure of the late Sam Mockbee and The Rural Studio, this issue has seen a large expansion and implementation over the past few years. I feel if the internship consisted of significant exposure to hands-on construction experience, the ability to understand and communicate with all parties involved in the design and construction process would be dramatically increased.

The answer to the question above is “Dreams”. Someone has to have a dream of making a space before the space can have validity. The “client” then turns to the architect to explore and gain the knowledge to make the dream a reality. I feel the internship process works in the same pattern. The student dreams of becoming an architect, and then begins the path of knowledge. It is during this journey that a greater understanding of construction materials and methods would increase the intern’s ability to contribute to the well being and growth of community, society and self.