Mentorship & Internship: Summer 2019 at FOX Architects
At FOX Architects, we’re passionate about training the next generation of designers. We know that behind our successes are talented professionals who gave their time and expertise to developing our careers, so we’re giving back.
This summer, we took on three emerging designers who contributed to our architecture and interior design projects. With hands-on guidance from senior staff members, our internship curriculum provides design students with real-world experience and opportunities to learn the jobs for which they are training.
We also create fun projects for our interns to develop their skills and imaginatively create hypothetical design solutions in response to a prompt. This summer, this internship project was to design an indoor/outdoor food stall at Washington, DC’s Union Market and present their work to our staff.
Nicole, Luo, and Maia impressed us with their hard work, eagerness to learn, and creativity. In recognition of their contributions to our team, here is a brief introduction to each of our summer 2019 interns!
Nicole
Name: Nicole Bansal
University: Cornell University
Program/Degree: B.Arch
Year in Program: 5th year
What interests you most about architecture/interior design?
Architecture is such a multifaceted design discipline. I enjoy working on different scales from exterior facades to interior space to furniture.
What do you find most challenging about architecture/interior design?
Architecture and interior design are constantly evolving as a result of advancements in technology and product design. While these changes prove to be exciting, it is often challenging to incorporate these new solutions in the built environment due to financial costs. I find that while the possibilities for design are endless, client budgets can be the most challenging, as a designer must find a balance between exceptional design and appropriate financial cost. A true designer is able to bring his or her innovative designs to life regardless of constraints.
What do you find most rewarding about architecture/interior design?
Providing new, affordable solutions to problems within a community is most rewarding. I enjoy using architectural design as a tool to bring cultures and communities together.
Describe your dream project.
Since I was a child, I have had a fascination with recreating virtual worlds from television and movies. I would love to design a theme park where I can make a virtual architecture come to life for all to enjoy. By merging historical context with written fantastical work, the end result would be quite magical.
What have you enjoyed most about interning at FOX Architects?
Interning at FOX Architects has been a rewarding experience because I have had the opportunity to work on several projects at different stages of completion. Since the interiors studio has a faster turnaround time, I have had the ability to learn so much and expand my skillset.
What did you learn during your internship with FOX Architects? What is the biggest takeaway?
While I learned many practical skills at FOX Architects, like drafting in Revit, making technical drawings, and filling out submittal logs, I learned that collaboration among project teams is truly the key to success. I have worked at small firms where one individual is usually tasked with seeing a project through to completion. However, at FOX Architects, several designers constantly work together to create an impressive final product. I appreciate that the designers at FOX Architects value mentorship and strive to help all members of the team with group critiques or studio meetings.
Lishunxiang Luo
Name: Lishunxiang Luo
University: Rhode Island School of Design
Program/Degree: Master of Architecture
Year in Program: 2nd year
What interests you most about architecture/interior design?
I am most interested in how architectural design incorporates both the artistic, emotional, creative part, with the logical, precision-oriented, production process.
What do you find most challenging about architecture/interior design?
One sentence: you are not the only one who cares about the work. As far as I have learned from my experience, it’s very rare for you to complete a project only by yourself. Everyone on a team has their own opinions, some of them even contradict yours, and they all matter. So this can be very challenging, but also exciting to work through that.
What do you find most rewarding about architecture/interior design?
I used to be a little shy book worm when I was a child. However, I cannot be that way anymore because as a designer, you are forced to communicate with people about the work. I’m glad architecture has changed me and has helped me open up to others.
Describe your dream project.
A Japanese den in the woods.
What have you enjoyed most about interning at FOX Architects?
It’s always the people that cheer me up and make me feel at home. Although I spent most of time working with the architecture studio, I had a lot of chances to collaborate with my colleagues from different teams, and all of them were very helpful in different ways: Scott was my supervisor in the architecture studio; Brent and Jeremy from the interiors studio supervised the intern program; Michael helped me deal with all those accounting things every two weeks; Derek in IT assisted me with my computer and tech issues; Julianne in HR took care of any difficulties I may encounter from the very beginning; Darlene, our office manager, always welcomed me every morning with a big smile. I cannot imagine a better team and I really enjoyed my time at FOX Architects this summer.
What did you learn during your internship with FOX Architects? What is the biggest takeaway?
During my two and a half months here, I have been introduced to almost all phases of design and working on various projects. Every day I have been learning about the difference between a school project and the real-life construction process — receiving other people’s feedback and incorporating it into my work. This is probably the biggest takeaway for me this summer and I believe this is far more useful than any technical skill.
Maia Shi
Name: Maia Shi
University: Rhode Island School of Design
Program/Degree: Adaptive Reuse
Year in Program: 2nd year graduate
What interests you most about architecture/interior design?
My dad used to take me to a lot of ancient villages when I was a child. Some of them are still lovely villages, but many of them have been subjected to the homogeneous process of modern tourism. I always think about whether there is another way to utilize these historical villages and architectures other than transforming them into the same tourist attractions.
What do you find most challenging about architecture/interior design?
I think the most challenging part for me is to find reasons for my decisions in every step of the design process. It can be difficult for me to convince myself that the solution I am implementing is the best one. I tend to hesitate between different options.
What do you find most rewarding about architecture/interior design?
When my design is actually built out and people are using it — but such opportunities are rare as a student.
Describe your dream project.
Help activate an historical village and its community.
What have you enjoyed most about interning at FOX Architects?
On every site visit, I have had a chance to see different kinds of projects being built out.
What did you learn during your internship with FOX Architects? What is the biggest takeaway?
I learned that I shouldn’t just look for reasons or explanations from my own point of view. Sometimes I will be stuck in my own thought process, and it is definitely helpful to have others’ input to help me proceed with the project.
