"Welcome to a new you, a new life and a new world… because unlike any other career, from today you'll never look at the world in the same way you used to, because when you are an Architect, you don't walk in the street as a regular person, your eyes go high, beyond the "humanscape", you question every piece, every component of each building, you'll try to understand the mind of who designed it, the time, the social context and ultimately who lives in it."
(Miguel Angel Roca)


That was the welcome speech the very first day I entered Architectural School in an auditorium filled with more that 500 new Architectural students. That was in February of 1994, in Cordoba, Argentina. I was seventeen years old, and my heart could not stop trying to jump out of my chest. I was on my way to becoming an "Architect"…

Now, eleven years later, I find myself in a different country, and following a process that I find very difficult to understand, and identify with… a process that I tried to avoid for long time but finally to accept and start.

I don't know if I feel like an Architect, or like I thought I would.
I wanted to be an Architect because I wanted to help people have better life conditions. I wanted to give every single person the chance to equally function in different spaces. Looking back, I probably did want to change the world.

"IDP", what would I change? I would change the way it keeps young architects from being called "architects".

What does "Intern" mean for most people? Student? Recent Graduate?

I believe that the title of Intern given to anyone, does not represent the broad cross section of architects that for some reason or another do not have their license.

"Intern" brings with it a stereotype of being young, inexperienced, a student still studying and even a temporary employee.
I feel that I need to explain to clients why I am not an "Architect", what my position really means, and that I am capable of doing the job. That shouldn't be necessary.

Should people who have many years of experience and knowledge in the architecture profession, but have not yet got licensed have the same title as a person who is still in or right out of college?

I believe that when a person carries a name, that name carries a personality with it. The same thing happens when we carry a Title.
I think that we should classify Licensed Architect or Senior Architect and on the other hand Young Architect or Architect in Training, just as an example.

"If I could change one thing about Architectural Internship, what would it be?"
The Title.