2013-2014 CAREER DAY
REFLECTION:
On May 23, for school I took a trip down to San Diego. It was for Career Day, initially I was unsure of whom. It was not until almost a week before the Friday of Career Day, that Hubbell & Hubbell Architects was recommended to me. I will say that I was interested, because it was a field of architecture, yet I was a little unsure after hearing that they specialized in what is called "organic architecture." However, after looking at some of their work on their website, which you can find by clicking the button. I was very impressed. When I first got there the first thing that I noticed was that it was a small firm, as opposed to a big corporate one. I think that this was one thing that kind of made me feel more comfortable, as well as a little nervous because it was small. Yet, as the day went on I came to enjoy the smallness of it, because you get to know the people around fairly well. Also, I had become used to a smaller school. Most of the early part of the day, the person I was shadowing had the intern from Cincinnati, going over the first stepping stones when it comes to going through an architect major. I learned that some colleges require or recommend an art portfolio. (it varies on the school, and how well the programs do) She recommended that I should try creating a portfolio with different styles, both hand and computer. Thus, making it easier for a college to gauge my knowledge and skills before the courses. She recommended looking into 3-D model programs, because in today's work field for architecture, it becoming more digital. Some of those examples included AutoCad, Maya, Revit, and Rhino. While I was there I learned that in college, for the most part architecture is a five year program, although there are some schools that offer for four years. As well as having 3 years as an intern at firms before you can take your exams, which is a total of nine. I did learn as well, is that while you're in school, you get to take a bunch of field trips to see a bunch of cool buildings. For the rest of my day at Hubbell and Hubbell, I did some hand drafting, where you sit at the big table, and it has the bar that runs horizontally, and I traced some preexisting drawings. I also did a bit of copying, as well as mostly working on a rough draft for a client's house based on a questionnaire that had been filled out, mainly what they were looking for, what kind of activities they were going to be doing, who was living in it, etc. I think that this was one of the most eye opening experiences that I have been able to be a part of. I learned that it still might be a field of career that I want to be in. I definitely learned that the options of architecture are almost infinite. |
Drew Hubbell: Focuses on green buildings, materials (natural, less energy, substainable
INTERVIEW: The way I chose to format the following interview is list the questions asked, and my mentor's answers.
Describe a typical workday at your site. - What I normally do is organizing, communications. That can be through emails, calling, etc. I also do a lot of coordination, because we could have as many as five to ten projects at any one time. Therefore, it is essential that we stay on top of the work. Because I hold a principal position, I do a lot of checking work, especially after first meeting with a client, and before presenting to a client. One of the things that we get to do in our field of work, is discovering, design, tech., construction, documenting. It is a lot of interacting with our clients, as well as making sure that what they want can be designed where they want and how they want it. What are the general work policies like, such as tardiness, absence, etc. -Because we are in such a small firm, we tend be more lenient. I expect everyone to work when they need to, and not be playing games or on Facebook, even though they couldn't really hide it anyways, because its such a small office. We normally don't have a problem when people are absent, because its hourly wages and everyone pulls their weight. What is the purpose of your organization? -The purpose is to push concepts, to not be afraid to try new materials. One of the materials that we use to build walls right now, is straw bale, and we are the first and only firm right now to have a permit that lets us use straw bale for walls. We also try to push for more usage of sustainable and green materials. We really try to push further than most other firms. How did you get into the field of architecture? -My father is an artist, so that kind of gave the background skills of it and my parents' home was unique. I spent a good time of my youth helping to build the house and that was probably what really interested me, and that I wanted to do architecture for a living. What skills and training are necessary? -You see, I think that the best thing about architecture is that it is a blend of a land of creative artistic and involves the technicality of engineering. One the skills that is becoming more important is computer design. How did you acquire these skills? -It was through both school and work. With school, you learn about design process. Also, while working, especially on internships, you can learn a lot that helps apply to your job. ARTIFACTS:
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