FALL 2017
THE CO-OP GUIDE
NORTH AMERICA Toronto, Canada Kitchener, Canada Guelph, Canada Calgary, Canada Vancouver, Canada Victoria, Canada New York City, USA Chicago, USA Boston, USA San Francisco, USA
sOUTH AMERICA 2 8 10 11 12 14 16 20 22 23
São Paulo, Brazil
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EUROPE Paris, France Copenhagen, Denmark Rotterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands Berlin, Germany Barcelona, Spain Helsinki, Finland London, UK Brussels, Belgium
Asia 26 31 32 34 35 36 37 38 40
Beijing, China Singapore Tokyo, Japan Hong Kong
42 44 46 48
OCEANIA Brisbane, Australia Wellington, New Zealand
50 52
Who: anonymous What firm: Diamond Schmitt Where: Spadina/Adelaide, Toronto, Canada When: Summer 2017 (3rd co-op) Workplace
What is the scope of work at the firm? How many people work there? The firm does a range of work from institutional buildings to museums to art centres to condos to competitions. There are about 200 people in the Toronto office. How did you find your job? Waterloo Works What tasks were you given? I worked on a single project doing design development and construction documents for most of the 4 months, as well as I had the opportunity to use the 3D printer and the laser cutter to make a model for the client. Discuss an interesting project. I worked on the Canadian Science and Technology Museum collections building in Ottawa. It was a unique look into an archival facility as well as a project that required coordination with multiple preservation groups to properly manage a museum collection. It was also interesting as the timeline for construction was overlapping as we continued to work on construction documents so it was a very fast paced project with many deadlines. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? I was involved in all aspects of the design development and construction documents as the team worked on it. They treated me like a full time member of the team however due to the limited time of my employment were not able to give me any long term responsibilities as I would not be around long enough to see them through. How is the team dynamic / work environment? The team I was on was an amazing team where everybody supported everybody. Deadlines were tough but we all worked really hard. The whole office was very friendly and interested in what I was doing and how my time there was. The work environment is very reasonable and in summer time most of the office gets out at 1pm on Fridays (students are still expected to work a 40 hour week but putting a little extra time throughout the week means you still get the early weekend!). Our team went out for really nice lunches after deadlines and on special occasions (my departure!) and they were really sweet with celebrating birthdays (that is all attributed to the awesome people on my team!) What tools of representation are used? Revit, Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator, Blubeam, and CAD 2
Any work perks? 3D printer (makerbot and resin), laser cutter, lunch and learns on Wednesdays (except July and August), fancy coffee makers, tons of good lunch spots in the area, good stocked kitchens, Friday afternoon design meetings (with beer and popcorn), team lunches, and an office band! How is the after work culture at the office? I met some really fun coworkers that would grab drinks with me after design meetings and I made some really great friends that I still keep in touch with. What was the most important thing you learned there? Lots of Revit knowledge and most importantly how to be a contributing essential member of a project team on a fast paced project. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? The Wide Open (cheap drinks) or Sneaky Dees or the Lab in the Annex (cheap and less grungy than the Wide Open) How did you find accommodation? Through another architecture student (I moved into their Toronto room after they left their co-op) What are some must-see places there? Right near my office was 401 Richmond which was fun to explore through and 362 Richmond is a pretty wicked building as well, totally caught my eye the first time I walked by it. Any interesting trips during the term? Toronto Brickworks, the Waterfront trail (good for runs) How safe did you find the city? I found it very safe as I lived just off Bloor and Brunswick and the area is very busy and vibrant. Know your neighbourhood (many are not as safe). What’s the best meal you had there? Terroni’s on Queen (AMAZING italian food) How did you get around the city? Bike (best way in my opinion but WEAR A HELMET), or streetcar How did you meet people in the city? Work and friends of friends
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Who: Saadman Ahmed, 3B What firm: Brook Mcilroy Architects Where: Spadina and Queen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada When: Fall 2016, Second Co-op Workplace
What is the scope of work at the firm? How many people work there? Landscape Architecture, Urbanism, Masterplan, about 30 people How did you find your job? Personal Search What tasks were you given? I was responsible for creating renderings for multiple waterfront projects around Ontario What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? I mostly worked with the project managers on multiple waterfront and masterplan projects
This is one of the rendering for the new Hamilton Waterfront I worked on during my work term at Brook Mcilroy.
How is the team dynamic / work environment? Very friendly people with an eager to help interns with any work challenges Any work perks? Free breakfast on Fridays, free lunch in the office often throughout the week, and good coffee City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Hangout with friends at Kensington market/Chinatown which is close to the workplace How did you find accommodation? I lived at my home in Toronto What’s the best meal you had there? Big Sushi on Spadina Avenue How did you get around the city? Public Transportation (TTC) How did you meet people in the city? I already have friends in Toronto as I grew up here but I met new people through my co-workers from the office as well
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Who: anonymous What firm: KPMB Architects Where: Toronto - King St W & John St When: fall 2013 (marketing co-op); winter 2016 (arch co-op); oct 2016 sept 2017 (full time) Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? focus on institutional projects - universities, cultural projects; high rises, office towers, interior fitouts, master planning. staff of around 100 How did you find your job? combinations of JobMine / WaterlooWorks and external contacts What tasks were you given? revit modeling, design studies, producing presentation materials, some rendering and photoshop, drawing markups, detailing, product research, some coordination with consultants Discuss an interesting project. massey hall restoration - got to visit the hall and explore all its nooks and crannies. scope of project was wide, including restoration work, reconfiguring existing spaces, and an entirely new addition - lots of different moving pieces. How is the team dynamic / work environment? varies greatly with team size, project status, project managers What tools of representation are used? strong emphasis on revit. legacy projects will be in cad. sketchup and rhino are used for schematic phase and for competitions. some projects may utilize other tools - grasshopper, dyanmo, 3DS max Any work perks? lots of lunch & learns, interesting talks given by guests, great location - 5min walk from st. andrew stn, short walks to many great restaurants and coffee shops, laser cutter and resin 3D printer, exploration in VR What was the most important thing you learned there? working smart > working hard City Life
What are some must-see places there? within [lunch break] walking distance of kpmb - 401 richmond, newly redone grange park, umbra store, QRC west, bell lightbox, roundhouse park, clarence square (dog watching!), design exchange 5
Who: anonymous What firm: MC Architects Where: Davisville & Yonge, Toronto When: Winter 2016, First Co-op Workplace
What is the scope of work at the firm? How many people work there? Mainly schools in the GTA but also on institutional buildings and renovations. At my time of employment 16 people worked there. How did you find your job? Waterloo Works What tasks were you given? Work ranged from basic drafting of plans to custom detail sections. I was also involved in early schematic design and was brought to site visits and client meetings. Discuss an interesting project. I worked a small renovation to a school that required a custom skylight. This project was interesting in that the skylight was actually quite difficult to integrate into the existing and new roof structures. I worked in collaboration with coworkers to resolve the details and structure. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? I had a high level of responsibility for a student on their first co-op. However, I do not think I was expected to do much above my pay grade. A handful of tasks were given to me due to lack of staff availability but resources were made available to me so that it could be done properly. How is the team dynamic / work environment? The office was small but the space was quite spread out so there wasn’t much interaction a lot of the time. However, when there was, it was friendly and open. The work environment was very accepting of co-op students and everyone was willing to take a mentor role. What tools of representation are used? AutoCAD and Revit drawings were primarily used. Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign were used but not very much. Any work perks? Lunch and learns, a really great shawarma place down the street at the back of a 7-eleven How is the after work culture at the office? Not really significant. What was the most important thing you learned there? Architectural detailing.
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Who: anonymous What firm: dkstudio architects inc. Where: North York, Toronto When: Winter 2013, Fall 2013, 1-year (2016-2017) post graduate Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? High-end retail interiors, corporate interiors, single-family residential. 10-15 people. How did you find your job? Initially JobMine How is the team dynamic / work environment? You will work very closely with principals and other colleagues to solve everyday problems. The principal and several full time employees are Waterloo graduates, and the staff is a mix of people from all over the world. Do not hesitate to ask questions! Although everyone will be busy, they are all accommodating and willing to help. Not everyone will be checking your work all the time, so best to ask and get it right the first time! Weekly office meetings to get a hold of project progresses and where you can best help. They are a small office and are not afraid to give responsibility to those willing to take it; you can make design decisions, external e-mail correspondences, and site visits if you take the initiative. What tools of representation are used? Autocad, Revit (possibly), Rhino, Sketchup, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, ArchiCAD, basically everything. Any work perks? Nespresso Coffee cups and machine, free tea and drinks, occasional snacks and treats, dinner and taxi if you’re working really late (I hope not) How is the after work culture at the office? Not much after work. There is the occasional office lunch, dinner, or drinks out if there are birthdays, holidays, turn-overs (for co-ops too), etc. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Home for dinner. How did you find accommodation? I lived with family.
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Who: anonymous What firm: WalterFedy Where: 675 Queen St S #111, Kitchener, ON When: All except first co-op Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? WalterFedy is an integrated firm, including engineering and construction in-house in addition to architecture. They do a range of work, but primarily commercial (offices) and institutional (schools and hospitals), and mostly within Southern Ontario. How did you find your job? WaterlooWorks What tasks were you given? Initially, visualization (renders, material boards, etc.) and simple CAD tasks (editing files according to mark-ups), but I was very quickly given greater responsibilities in terms of preparing and coordinating contract documents. By the end of my final term, I was given a small renovation to project-manage. Discuss an interesting project. My favourite project was a complex warehouse-to-office renovation. For this project I was solely responsible for designing and drafting all the new stairs in the building, and additionally worked closely with one of the senior building technologists to design and draft crucial (and very complex) building details. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? Very high. Even in my first co-op term at WalterFedy I was given significant responsibility in drafting construction drawings, reviewing shop drawings, and coordinating with Mech/Elec/Struc/Civ. As I demonstrated my enthusiasm and capability, these responsibilities only grew. Other team members also made sure I was involved beyond the office, taking me on several site visits during my first co-op term, to several projects in varying stages of construction. How is the team dynamic / work environment? I was made to feel like a key team member from day one. I found the dynamic of the whole firm to be very friendly and supportive, with everyone, not just the architectural department, approachable and happy to answer questions. What tools of representation are used? Primarily AutoCAD, Google SketchUp, Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/ Indesign. I also used V-ray for SketchUp, and in my final few co-op terms they began to use more Revit.
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Any work perks? Lots of Lunch & Learns as well as regular departmental lunches (read: free lunch). There’s a tradition of bringing in treats on your birthday, so frequent yummy snacks available. There’s also a weekly soccer game and a yearly soccer tournament, as well as yoga at lunch once a week. How is the after work culture at the office? Good. As I said, there’s a soccer club, occasionally a group will go out to eat, and every term the co-op students (from all departments) work together to organize an office social. The office also participates in the annual Canstruction contest. What was the most important thing you learned there? On the practical side, I was introduced to all aspects of the architectural process, including some (bidding, addenda, construction management) which are not really covered in school. On the personal side, I gained a lot of confidence in my own architectural abilities. Does the office support a health work-life balance? Yes. There is minimal overtime, a positive office culture, options for flexible hours, a secure bike room, and on-site showers. WalterFedy also supports volunteer work in the community, and in my third term I had the opportunity to do a full day of volunteering with a team from the office at a Habitat for Humanity build. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Archery Club on Main Campus How did you find accommodation? I’m from the area so I lived with my parents What are some must-see places there? The Tannery renovation, CIGI, the new Google offices. What’s the best meal you had there? The Yeti Cafe is a great brunch spot How did you get around the city? Car, bike, bus (GRT)
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Who: Jasdeep Multani 3B What firm: Grinham Architects Where: Guelph, Ontario When: Winter 2015, First Co-op Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Small firm, 10 people How did you find your job? WaterlooWorks What tasks were you given? AutoCAD drawings, markups, floor plans Discuss an interesting project. Guelph Turf grass Institute - University building at early stages of design What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? Worked on various projects, more computer based work than attending team meetings How is the team dynamic / work environment? Quiet firm What tools of representation are used? Auto CAD, Bluebeam How is the after work culture at the office? No real after work culture, older emplyees in the firm and many go home directly after work What was the most important thing you learned there? Learned and expanded CAD skills, would need to ask for work or what needed to be assisted on which allowed me to be a part of many projects City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Close to the University of Guelph so you can always go there after work for events How did you find accommodation? Online How did you get around the city? Bus Transit system How did you meet people in the city? Student Run city so you can always meet people your age that are attending University of Guelph
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Who: Nick Makhalik 3A What firm: GEC Architecture Where: Calgary, Alberta When: Spring 2016, First co-op Workplace
What is the scope of work at the firm? How many people work there? Large scale projects ie. Arenas, Masterplanning, Transit. About 40 people How did you find your job? WaterlooWorks What tasks were you given? Model Making for large masterplanning. 3D modelling and Cad work. Discuss an interesting project. CalgaryNext is the large masterplanning project that I worked on. We designed an extension of the city with the inclusion of a bran-new fieldhouse and hockey stadium. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? I worked with the partners and other architects sharing my opinions on designs and worked as a part of the collective. How is the team dynamic / work environment? Really friendly. The other younger architects and interns were really fun to hangout with during and off-work What was the most important thing you learned there? Software skills, Actual Design City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Talisman Centre (Olympic-Grade Gym) How did you find accommodation? Kijiji Any interesting trips during the term? Banff for skiing How safe did you find the city? Its Canada fam, it was safe How did you get around the city? Bus, C-Train, Walk Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? Cowboy culture is alive and well here, not a barrier, but just an FYI
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Who: Jasdeep Multani 3B What firm: HDR | CEI Architects Vancouver Where: Downtown Vancouver When: spring 2017 (3A) Workplace
What is the scope of work at the firm? How many people work there? 50-60 people How did you find your job? Personal Search What tasks were you given? Photoshop, Revit, AutoCAD designed hospital floorplans - Wide variety
Discuss an interesting project. Qingdao China Hospital - 2000 bed hospital competition that was awarded to our firm and I was able to be part of the early design stages to hospital layout planning What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? Highly involved How is the team dynamic / work environment? Great work environment, loved it and will be returning to the firm What tools of representation are used? AutoCAD, Revit (they taught me), Photoshop, Adobe Any work perks? Gym, Bike Storage, Team lunches, Coffee and Snacks How is the after work culture at the office? Great work culture, went out for dinner with team members or for drinks What was the most important thing you learned there? What type of architecture I want to specialize in and how I enjoy working for large corporate firms City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Walk/sit along the waterfront How did you find accommodation? Kijiji What are some places there? a lot of Arthur Erickson work, UBC campus Any interesting trips during the term? Climbed many mountains, beaches, lakes, deep cover, etc 12
How safe did you find the city? Safe, East Hasting known to be a bit dangerous but I have not run into trouble, be cautious if you are in that area but overall very safe just plan accordingly to transit. What’s the best meal you had there? Sushi is so fresh, Gelatos everywhere How did you get around the city? Skytrain (super fast and easy) How did you meet people in the city? Waterloo Coop nights are a great way to meek coop students in your area
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Who: anonymous What firm: Studio Robazzo Where: Victoria, BC, Canada When: Spring 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Parametric interior design, product design, graphic design. There are 3 partners and one full time employee. How did you find your job? WaterlooWorks How is the team dynamic / work environment? Very open collaborative environment, your input is valued as much as anyone else’s. A lot of support when you need it as well as allowing you to make decisions independently. What tools of representation are used? Rhino, Adobe Suite Any work perks? Use of 3D printer, laser cutter, photo studio, workshop after hours. Great espresso machine. How is the after work culture at the office? Pretty vibrant, often local arts events hosted by the office. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? The beach How did you find accommodation? Online ads What are some must-see places there? The Atrium, on Yates. How safe did you find the city? Pretty safe What’s the best meal you had there? Sushi How did you get around the city? Bike
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Who: anonymous What firm: Studio Robazzo Where: Douglas and Pembroke, (downtown) Victoria, BC, Canada When: Fall 2017, second coop, 4 months Workplace
What is the scope of work at the firm? How many people work there? 7 people, interiors, graphic design, product design, web/apps design, art (sculpture) competition submissions How did you find your job? WaterlooWorks What tasks were you given? 3D modeling, wood working, photoshopping, presentation package layout, office errands, driftwood pickup, concrete casting How is the team dynamic / work environment? They have a good work life balance. Important to learn to take initiative because it’s a smaller office so things just really need to get done. What tools of representation are used? Rhino 5, Adobe Suite, Vray/Maxwell Any work perks? 3D printer, laser cutter, wood workshop, white void photo studio, kitchen, and general office space, all available to use after hours if it is not needed/booked. Also yes, there’s coffee. How is the after work culture at the office? A lot of events are hosted at the office so the work environment changes a lot week to week/ day to evenings depending on what is going on. What was the most important thing you learned there? Tsplines for Rhino, how to run a business City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Victoria Public Market at the Hudson, Ross Bay, Wildfire Cafe How did you find accommodation? Airbnb, super nice landlords (!!) (but it’s a bit on the pricey side, I think cheaper can be found on UsedVictoria) How did you get around the city? Bike everywhere (I think this is the cheapest way, my landlords lent me a bike which was really helpful)
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Who: anonymous What firm: Heitler Houstoun Architects Where: 34th and 6th Ave., NYC When: Fall 2016 & Winter 2017, 8 month Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Mainly small retail franchise and private residential, close to 20 employees How did you find your job? WaterlooWorks What tools of representation are used? Sketchup, Photoshop Any work perks? Principal bring dog sometimes, both Keurig and Nespresso, frequent lunch and learns, close to 24h food (Koreatown) How is the after work culture at the office? Efficient with emphasis on accuracy. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? BCD Tofu House, or Nike Run Club How did you find accommodation? Padmapper What are some must-see places there? Park Avenue Armory, Whitney Museum, Brooklyn Army Terminal Any notes on the visa application process? Apply as early as possible, be sure to understand whether you, the firm, or both are responsible for SEVIS fee. Any interesting trips during the term? Washington DC day trip in the middle of massive blizzard. How did you get around the city? MTA and Taxi (Uber is bad for locals)
Protest on 2nd Ave. after the election of 45th POTUS. 16
Who: Brian Tien What firm: HLW Where: Manhattan, NY When: Winter 2017 Workplace
How many people work there? 130 How did you find your job? WaterlooWorks How is the team dynamic / work environment? Great, everyone’s super friendly and easy to work with. What tools of representation are used? AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit, Adobe creative suite, Bluebeam, models Any work perks? Cronuts, sushi, beer, cookies, charcuterie, red wine, white wine, cider, brownies, muffins, MONDAY BAGELS, cookie dough, chocolates, cheesecake City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Chinatown to eat How did you find accommodation? Thank u Brandon What are some must-see places there? Staten Island snug harbor great park What’s the best meal you had there? Flushing Queens best dumplings
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Who: Roni Haravon, 3B What firm: HLW LLP Where: Union Square, New York City When: fall 2016, second co-op Workplace
How many people work there? 150-200 people How did you find your job? waterlooworks What tasks were you given? creating presentations, 3D modeling in revit and rhino,fixing the red lines on construction documents. Discuss an interesting project. I worked on hotel lobby renovation competition with a supervisor and a partner. I was the only one ho was actually working on it and we had to submit it in 3 days. It was a fact paced project. They were satisfied with i bring to the team and after that The partner assigned me to another faced pace deadline it was great moment as a experience. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? I started as creating presentations and doing rendering but after a month or so I started to design more and create floorplan iterations. How is the team dynamic / work environment? Usually project groups are max 2-3 people and the work environment was relaxed and friendly. What tools of representation are used? Rhino, Revit, Photoshop, Indesign Any work perks? wine cheese on tuesday evenings and lunch and learns once a week. How is the after work culture at the office? Usually people do their own things but if there is an office event, people continue after that. What was the most important thing you learned there? Other than the knowledge and experience I started using Revit, which is great asset if you’re applying to a large corporate firm.
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City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? dont remember its name but there was a pub around union square with happyhour deals. How did you find accommodation? I lived with my 3 friends from my term and we find a house online. What are some must-see places there? guggenheim, highline, whitney museum, skyscraper museum, Via 57 West Any notes on the visa application process? I used Cultural Vistas, they were very helpful Any interesting trips during the term? If it is your summer term I would recommend you to go to Hamptons. How safe did you find the city? Manhattan is pretty safe but Brooklyn is not that safe after 2 am if you’re taking subway or walking you should be careful. What’s the best meal you had there? Pasta at Piccolo restaurant (Across Dominique Ansel Bakery), Cronut from Dominique Ansel Bakery, and Ruby”s Burger. They are all in Soho How did you get around the city? Subway How did you meet people in the city? through friend or colleagues.
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Who: Kelsey Malott, 3B What firm: Studio Gang Architects Where: Chicago, IL When: Spring 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Founded by MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang is an architecture and urban design practice with offices in Chicago and New York. We work as a collective of more than 90 architects, designers, and planners. We collaborated closely with our clients, expert consultants, and specialists from a range of fields to design and realize innovative projects at multiple scales: architecture, urbanism, interiors, and exhibitions. We use design as a medium to connect people socially, experientially, and intellectually. How did you find your job? Personal Search What tasks were you given? Programming, rendering, graphics, translating, writing, modelling, etc.
Discuss an interesting project. I worked on the international competition of the redesign of the monumental Tour Montparnasse in Paris. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? Only two of us were bilingual on the 40 person project... So lots and lots of involvement and responsibility. How is the team dynamic / work environment? Extremely collaborative, lots of charrettes What tools of representation are used? Lots and lots of sketching Any work perks? Birthday lunches, office retreats, yoga, lots of lunch and learns, weekly all office meetings, free dinner if working late What language is used at the workplace? Depends on project, my project was located in Paris, so mostly French. How is the after work culture at the office? Awesome, always headed to bars and partied.
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What was the most important thing you learned there? It is very important to collaborate and charrette. Not always the best decision to head straight to the computer, but rather sketching and concept modelling. Other comments: Jeanne is a Rem baby, so pretty exciting to now be a Rem grandbaby. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? I took comedic writing classes at the infamous Second City. How did you find accommodation? Friends What are some must-see buildings/projects/museums there? Architectural River Boat Tour in general Any notes on the visa application process? US is a very easy online process, my company fully paid for mine. Any interesting trips during the term? Las Vegas How safe did you find the city? I lived downtown in a very safe neighbourhood. South side shouldn’t be ventured to alone at night. What’s the best meal you had there? The Purple Pig, Girl and the Goat, Carnivale, Eataly How did you get around the city? Uber, walking, metro Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? Everyone thought my Canadian accent was super cute How did you meet people in the city? #tinder, comedy classes, gym, work
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Who: Angus Dunn, 3A What firm: Ann Beha Architects Where: Downtown Crossing, Boston, Massachusetts When: Fall 2016 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Mainly renovations and additions for institutional buildings, some new construction like a consulate building. How did you find your job? Personal Search How is the team dynamic / work environment? Great, everyone’s super friendly and easy to work with. What tools of representation are used? AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit, Adobe creative suite, Bluebeam, models Any work perks? Super cute dogs every once in awhile How is the after work culture at the office? Pretty sweet, every friday we either went out to a bar or the firm buys drinks and we hang out in the office for a bit. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Boston Common, the Climbing Gym What are some must-see places there? Carpenter Center, Harvard Art Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art Any notes on the visa application process? Be on top of all the different forms. Any interesting trips during the term? New York, Providence, Portland, Washington D.C. How safe did you find the city? Safe near the colleges, it can get sketchy around Dorchester & Roxbury What’s the best meal you had there? Lobster roll How did you get around the city? Metro How did you meet people in the city? Climbing Gym, bars, college parties
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Who: Steven Lin, 3B What firm: Gould Evans Associates Where: San Francisco When: Spring 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Wineries, K-12, Higher Ed, Residential. Roughly 20 people work there. How did you find your job? Recommendation from a friend How is the team dynamic / work environment? Very collaborative. Excellent corporate structure and reasonable management of expectations. What tools of representation are used? Everything from Adobe Suite to Autodesk Any work perks? Office dog, 3D printer, snacks, lunch and learns City Life
What was your favourite place to go after work? Bike ride home How did you find accommodation? Family What are some must-see places there? Ferry Terminal Building, Lands End, Marine Museum Any notes on the visa application process? For non-American students, submit your J-1 Application as soon as possible Any interesting trips during the term? Wine County!!! How safe did you find the city? Lots of homeless people camping in tents. Be careful.
Go hiking and biking while you’re there.
What’s the best meal you had there? A selection of 6 local west coast oysters at Hog Island Oyster Co. How did you meet people in the city? Register for co-ed intramural soccer. Tinder. Coworkers.
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Who: Nick Makhalik, 3B What firm: Atelier Marko Brajovic Where: SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil When: Spring 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Mostly artistic exhibitions and pavilions, about 7 people. How did you find your job? Personal search. What tasks were you given? Full creative liberties in designing pavilions, product design, exhibition work. Discuss an interesting project. Tidelli Wave was a storefront pavilion that I entirely designed from conception, and I got to see it constructed and then host the event for the store. I designed and worked on everything from the single elements that came together to form the composition, to the colouring and structure. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? Greatly involved with all projects that I worked on, with some being my project that I would just touch base with the boss sometime. How is the team dynamic / work environment? Super fun and exciting. The office would play music out loud from 90s rap to techno to Brazilian Rock. What tools of representation are used? Renderings, Models, drawings. Any work perks? Flexible hours, fun environment, I bartended at events at the office.
What language is used at the workplace? Portuguese, English. How is the after work culture at the office? Super Fun! we would go out to bars, clubs, raves. Lots of drinking, lots of dancing, and lots of fun! What was the most important thing you learned there? How to be better inspired by the natural world. And how to have fun and enjoy life. Maybe we forgot something important? Legit the best experience that I could have living in a foreign country!
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City Life
What was your favourite place to go after work? Clubs, Bars, Raves, hanging out with friends. How did you find accommodation? Airbnb What are some must-see places there? MASP, Copan, SESC Pompiea, Ibirapuera Park, Jaragua Mountain, Football Museum. Any notes on the visa application process? Go on a tourist visa (3 months), It is a significantly more easier process, and you can ask for an extension (+3 months) once you arrive. Any interesting trips during the term? Went to Rio de Janeiro twice, Ouro Preto, also I didnt go but Paraty is also a really cool place, and its in the middle between Rio and Sao Paulo How safe did you find the city? It’s Brazil - don’t carry a lot of cash, keep watch for pickpockets, don’t use your phone late at night in sketchier places. I felt comfortable in Sao Paulo and SP is pretty safe, and I never had anything happen to me while I was in Brazil, but Rio is more sketch. SP is super gay and LGBTQ+ friendly so its mostly safe to be “out” in public, but I have heard of people being super homophobic. Things change from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, so it all depends. Vila Pompéia and Perdizes (where the office is and where I lived) are considered the safest areas in SP. What’s the best meal you had there? The fruit is legit the best you will ever have. How did you get around the city? Metro, Walk, Uber, Bus. Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? Yes, SP is still very much a Portuguese-speaking city, so you might want to learn a bit. Culturally, people in Brazil are more sexual and passionate, so expect every kiss to be french. How did you meet people in the city? Work, Dating Apps, Online, Roommates. Maybe we forgot something important? Don’t be afraid if you don’t know Portuguese (I didn’t, and I had the best summer/winter of my life)
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Who: Michelle Castro Bullough, M1, H.BAS 2016 What firm: Taktyk [landscape + urbanism] Where: 10ème arr., Paris, France When: winter 2016, final co-op Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? A fairly young landscape architecture and urbanism office of four paysagistes plus me. There’s also an office in Brussels. Most of their work is at the urban or territorial scale, but they occasionally do landscape installations. How did you find your job? Personal search What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? It depended on the project. For the Saclay masterplan, which had been going on for a couple of years, I just executed CAD drawings for construction. For competitions and studies, I worked closely with a landscape architect to generate concepts, then I would create the maps and presentation drawings. For local studies someone else would generate the French text, but I did all English writing for international competitions. What tools of representation are used? AutoCAD drawings, Illustrator diagrams, Photoshop collages, and physical models Any work perks? Belgian chocolate What language is used at the workplace? French as lingua franca - French for local projects and English for international competitions What was the most important thing you learned there? How to design beyond the scale of the building. Coming from an architectural background, I went to Taktyk to take on the challenge of designing at larger scales. I learned a lot through doing studies for the city of Toulouse and the Canal du Midi heritage territory. Additionally, the office occasionally had reading seminars, in which we would discuss landscape urbanism texts.
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What was your favorite place to go after work? Jardin du Luxembourg (across the street from my apartment) or Le Grenier à Pain (best baguette in Paris 2010 & 2015, there is an actual competition) How did you find accommodation? Leboncoin What are some must-see places there? Parc André Citroën (by Gilles Clément), the Coulée verte René-Dumont (think Parisian Highline), the Musée de l’Orangerie (part of Monet’s Water Lilies series), Villa Savoye, and the classic Louvre Any interesting trips during the term? Separate day trips to Versailles, Chartres, Provins, and Fontainebleau. A weekend road trip through Normandy - medieval Rouen, the Cliffs of Étretat, fortified Caen, D-Day’s Juno Beach, and the iconic Mont-SaintMichel What’s the best meal you had there? Cheese fondue at Le Chalet Savoyard How did you get around the city? Métro Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? My French is pretty terrible, so I found it difficult to speak beyond basic conversation with locals.
My British francophone friend wandering the Galerie Vivienne. 27
Who: Daniel Abad, M1, H.BAS 2016 What firm: Vincent Eschalier Studio Where: Rue Martel, Paris, France When: winter 2016 (final co-op) & 2016-2017 (full time) Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Interior design of restaurants and specialty offices. Mid-rise residential, roof-top additions, some schools. How did you find your job? Personal Search How is the team dynamic / work environment? Great, the average age of the firm is 27, everyone is super friendly, easy to work with and fun to hang out after hours. What tools of representation are used? AutoCAD, SketchUp, Adobe creative suite, 3D Printing BCN3D. Any work perks? Lunch provided everyday, half of transporation cost covered. 3D Printing is fun since you can print personal stuff if needed. How is the after work culture at the office? Great, often Vincent will invite the entire firm for dinner and drinks to very nice restaurants and bars in Paris. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Running along the canal, hanging out with friends around Rue Paradis and Rue Mouffetard, Les Etolies.. What are some must-see places there? Villa Savoye, Orangerie Museum, Rodin Museum, Parc des ButtesChaumont, Arenes sur la Seine, Plages de Paris, Pettite Ceinture, Parc de la Vilette, Chateau de Fontainbleu, Pompidou Centre... Any notes on the visa application process? Use the International Youth Agreement, it was pretty fast for me, it only took 3 buisness days to get my visa. Any interesting trips during the term? Berlin, Rome, Bordeaux, Bilbao, Irun, Toulouse, Mont-Saint-Michel, Avignion, Province, Fontainbleu, Versailles, Lyon, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Carcassone, Val de Loire, Bayonne...
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What’s the best meal you had there? Tartiflette from the studio lunches lol How did you get around the city? Velib, Walk, Longboard, Metro, Uber How did you meet people in the city? Bars, coworkers, capoeira, salsa, through friends of friends, other co-op students...
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Who: Niki Farfel, 3B What firm: Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects Where: Paris When: Summer 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? 15 How did you find your job? Personal How is the team dynamic / work environment? Competitive but overall, friendly. What tools of representation are used? 1:10 Models and drawings Any work perks? Good coffee and even better parties. What language is used at the workplace? English, French, Japanese. How is the after work culture at the office? Experimental and fun! City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? CafĂŠ Charbon How did you find accommodation? Airbnb What are some must-see places there? Arab World Institute Any notes on the visa application process? The visa is free for Canadians. Any interesting trips during the term? Amsterdam, Lisbon, Berlin How did you get around the city? Metro
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Who: Emmeily Zhang, M1, H.BAS 2017 What firm: BIG Where: Copenhagen, Denmark When: Dec 2016 - May 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Everything from model building to rendering to conceptual design to construction documents. About 200 people now. How did you find your job? Personal Search. How is the team dynamic / work environment? Everyone is very nice and easy to work with, and all their english is excellent. What tools of representation are used? AutoCAD, Revit, Photoshop, Illustrator, Models. Any work perks? Great espresso machine, and you get to play with VR a lot, and make 3-D models for use in VR. What language is used at the workplace? English. How is the after work culture at the office? Pretty relaxed, a small group go out together on Fridays. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Any of the parks. How did you find accommodation? Facebook What are some must-see places there? Not necessarily a building but NDSM Wharf. Any notes on the visa application process? Christianshavn in the Winter, my favourite neighbourhood. I only did a 3 month work term so I only needed a work permit, which the firm puts together for you. It doesn’t require a form, fee, or taxes. How did you get around the city? Get a bike as soon as you can!
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Who: Natalie Kopp, 3B What firm: Kraaijvanger architects Where: Rotterdam, NL When: Summer 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? All kinds of public and commercial buildings, about 50 people work there. How did you find your job? Through my classmate, Giulia What tasks were you given? Creating representational drawings and diagrams, building and updating digital and physical models, reviewing construction drawings, attending site visits and meetings. Also, sometimes grocery shopping and loading the dishwasher. How is the team dynamic / work environment? Everyone is really friendly! There are several teams which have a lively amount of competition between them, and they all work well together. What tools of representation are used? Revit, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), AutoCAD, Sketchup. Any work perks? Lots of cake, Fridays off, a latte machine with a screen that plays a slideshow of the firm’s projects when it’s not making coffee. Lunch is provided on Mondays. How is the after work culture at the office? It’s really fun! There’s drinks almost every Thursday, in the park when the weather is nice, and once we all took our co-worker’s boat out to a national park and had a barbecue. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? The park across the street when the weather was nice, or just walking around the city and checking out all the little shops and restaurants. How did you find accommodation? Housinganywhere.com What are some must-see buildings/projects/museums there? The Boijmans Museum, the Markthal.
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Any interesting trips during the term? I travelled all over the Netherlands by train (Amsterdam, Maastricht, the Hague, etc) and also to a bunch of cities nearby like Antwerp, Copenhagen, Berlin, Paris, and London. What’s the best meal you had there? Kapsalon, its like poutine plus shawarma plus a tiny bit of salad. It’s so bad for you but so good. How did you get around the city? Mainly walking or by bicycle, the bike lanes are great in Rotterdam and you can get anywhere in the city on a bike. Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? It was a little hard to communicate since everything is in Dutch, but most people speak English so you can get by without knowing any. There are also a lot of cultural differences which were interesting to discover as the term went on.
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Who: Angus Dunn, 3A What firm: Dam & Partners Architecten Where: Overtoomsveld, Amsterdam, The Netherlands When: Spring 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? From Private villas to residential towers to master planning. How did you find your job? Personal Search. How is the team dynamic / work environment? It’s definitely a lot of work but it’s fun. What tools of representation are used? Renderings, Models. Any work perks? Catered lunch and dinner and lots of nice people! What language is used at the workplace? English, though almost everyone will know another language. How is the after work culture at the office? Really great, everyone hangs out together and are very inclusive. There are many interns and they become really good friends. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Kødbyen for some nice food, drinks, chills. How did you find accommodation? Boligportal.com, though it’s very challenging in Copenhagen. What are some must-see places there? Grundtvig’s Church Any notes on the visa application process? Get your visa application in early. For mine, they took the full 90 days to process it. How safe did you find the city? Super duper safe, you might get your bike stolen though. How did you get around the city? Bike. You bike absolutely everywhere all the time.
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Who: anonymous What firm: Sauebruch Hutton Where: Berlin, Germany When: Fall 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Institutional, Office, and Cultural, ~70. How did you find your job? Personal search, email is on their website. How is the team dynamic / work environment? Really friendly and energetic, everyone comes from a different place. Any work perks? Paid travel to competition entry destinations, free language class. What language is used at the workplace? English is lingua franca, German as predominant language. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Suss War Gestern. How did you find accommodation? WG Gesucht (search as early as possible). What are some must-see places there? Kraftwerk, Interbau 57, Pallasseum. Any notes on the visa application process? Go to the consulate at least a month before you plan on leaving Canada, don’t think you can cheat the system. Any interesting trips during the term? Geneva and Vienna to deliver submissions How did you get around the city? Bike
Berlin sunset from the 12th floor of a friend’s apartment.
Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? Basic German is a necessary skill, as Berliner “schnauze” can make English speakers feel inadequate.
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Who: Michelle Castro Bullough, M1, H.BAS 2016 What firm: Vilalta Arquitectura Where: L’Eixample, Barcelona, Spain When: Spring 2014, 3rd co-op Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Two full-time employees and five interns. How did you find your job? Personal search (previous Waterloo student had worked there) What tasks were you given? Mostly rendering, lecture writing, and English-Spanish translation, but also participating in design charrettes. Discuss an interesting project. I worked closely with the firm’s director to write a TED talk. What tools of representation are used? SketchUp models, renderings through Artlantis & Photoshop, Illustrator diagrams, and CAD drawings. What language is used at the workplace? English & Spanish How is the after work culture at the office? Us five interns became good friends, and often made international weeknight dinners together and went to the beach or out dancing on weekends. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Walking around the old city (Ciutat Vella). How did you find accommodation? Called the phone number on a rental sign in a window.
Plaça del Rei outside the Museum of the History of Barcelona
What are some must-see places there? Parc del Centre del Poblenou (by Jean Nouvel), CaixaForum gallery, and as much Gaudí as possible (la Sagrada Família, Parc Güell).
Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? Spaniards are incredibly friendly! Even though the regional language is Catalán, I had no problems using Castilian Spanish instead. A couple of the interns in my office didn’t speak any Spanish and got by, although they said it was quite difficult. 36
Who: T.K. Justin Ng, 3B What firm: ALA Architects Where: Helsinki, Finland When: Winter 2016, first co-op Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? 40 people. How did you find your job? Personal Search. What tasks were you given? Photoshop, Revit, Fabrication drawings. Discuss an interesting project. Helsinki Central Library is the largest project the office is working on. The company won the competition back in 2014 and the building is currently under construction. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? Most of the time, I’m working on renderings and diagrams but occasionally I get to do a little design as well. What tools of representation are used? Physical model, Renderings. What language is used at the workplace? Finnish mostly, English just for non-Finns. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? A cafe near Stockmann.
A sketch of Helsinki Cathedral.
How did you find accommodation? Facebook groups. What are some must-see places there? Kiasma Museum by Steven Holl, Rautatienasema by Eliel Saarinen (Eero’s dad). Any notes on the visa application process? You would need to go to Ottawa.
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Who: Mia Milanovic, 3B What firm: Alison Brooks Architects Where: Kentish Town, London, England When: Fall 2016, second co-op Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Mainly residential, however a few educational, cultural and medical projects have been done/are being done. As well as constant competitions. The firm consists of about 30 people. How did you find your job? Personal Application but I found out about the firm when Alison Brooks herself came to give a lecture at the school. What tasks were you given? Photoshop, Revit, Fabrication drawings. Discuss an interesting project. A Multipurpose Building competition for Tottenham Court was a very interesting project have worked on. It took a couple all-nighters and jumping from task to task where needed. I required a lot of discussion with the firm directors personally and fast decisions/ coordination in order to meet the deadline. Which all in the end paid off because the project won the competition. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? Depending on on the project, sometimes I would be responsible for all physical models, to even making sure all the bathrooms in a townhouse complex were correct on the revit files. How is the team dynamic / work environment? It is an absolutely incredible environment, everyone respects each others work and time, the work is divided accordingly by personal strengths are experience and when need be anyone is willing to lend a helping hand. What tools of representation are used? Revit, Rhino, Vray/Maxwell, Physical Models. Any work perks? Every Friday we would stop working at our computers at 5pm (an hour early) and go to the meeting table for a CPD (presentation by one of the employees ranging from new skills to a recent trip they had been on) Drinks and snacks were provided during this last hour. How is the after work culture at the office? Every Friday after the CPD’s most of the firm would walk to the pub across the street and enjoy some quality time together. Also there was a great work Christmas party. 38
What was the most important thing you learned there? When doing a competition take an extra step, add something that wasn’t a requirement but is essential to the projects and makes the competition commissioner question why they didn’t put it as a requirement in the first place. Other comments: I found it very important that everyone in the firm made an effort to interact with one another and keep track of what was happening on projects that they didn’t work on. It showed that at the end of the day we are all working towards the same goals and are valuable firm members. City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? The airport, when in London there are so many opportunities to fly around Europe for a short amount of time and cheap flights. Especially with the banked time in lieu I could afford a few trips during my work term. How did you find accommodation? I have family there and stayed with them. What are some must-see places there? The British Museum, the Wallace collection, The Shard, Camden area, Hyde Park and much more, the list is too long. Any notes on the visa application process? Make sure to give enough time for the whole visa process, sometimes it is the last piece to actually starting your term and waiting can be frustrating.
Inside the SMILE with the ABA team.
Any interesting trips during the term? As I mentioned above from London it was easy to travel so I had the pleasure to go to Berlin, Milan, and visit family in Serbia while working. Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? At first it was surprisingly harder to understand the British accent than I thought and some terms, but it was very easy to pick up on it all within a few days.
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Who: Kelsey Dawson What firm: Taktyk Where: Brussels, Belgium When: Summer after 3A Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? The office has a great environment (4-6 people employees), it is shared with an architecture firm so there are lots of young people around and we all ate lunch together every day. They are a landscape office but also do large scale urban design + planning. How did you find your job? Personal search: I knew older students who had worked at the firm. I knew about the office’s reputation for being very good at teaching and providing design opportunities. What tasks were you given? Project leader for a competition; model maker; graphic designer for poster commissions; presentation preparations; Discuss an interesting project. The competition I led with another UWSA student focused on reclaiming a no-longer used military campus in the core of a historic city. The largest challenge was unlocking this previously restricted space and inviting in the community. One of the ways we chose to do this was through accessible graphic design. As Belgium is quite famous for their comic artists we chose to use this style as a way to communicate the design to professionals and community members. This was a fairly risky decision and I appreciated that the office was open to trying something new and having fun with the project. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? You are expected to be a leader in this office and be able to work on your own. The boss is also a professor so he is not in all the time. It is important to be able to move forward with the work without constant supervision. How is the team dynamic / work environment? The office is very fun and friendly, we would go out for drinks after work and eat lunch together everyday. It is an asset to speak french. What tools of representation are used? I worked in Illustrator, Photoshop, and Indesign. Any work perks? Brussels is fairly small, so it is unlikely you would have to buy a transit pass. Walking to work should be fine.
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What language is used at the workplace? French (most people also speak English). How is the after work culture at the office? Good! I learned about many great bars from going with co-workers. What was the most important thing you learned there? How to work independently and take ownership of a project and the work of the office. Other comments: Where to live in Brussels: Saint Gilles!!! (steer away from the north side of the pentagon, around the train stations, and Molenbeek). City Life
What was your favorite place to go after work? Cafe Bebo. How did you find accommodation? Made a deal with my Airbnb Host. What are some must-see places there? Horta Museum, Van Burren Museum, Magritte Museum. Any interesting trips during the term? Belgium is very centrally located, you can travel anywhere in Europe very easily. There is also a student rail-card that is 50 euro for 10 train rides anywhere in Belgium. How safe did you find the city? Belgium has a lot of people who live on the street, buying a bike will help you to feel safe getting around at night. Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? Best to speak french if you are living in a neighborhood, you can get away with english in the downtown. Grand Place
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Who: Nina Wang, H.BAS 2016 What firm: MAD Architects Where: Beijing, China When: Spring 2014 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Architectural design. Roughly 40 staff (including media and HR) with 20 interns. How did you find your job? Personal Search How is the team dynamic / work environment? International environment, with staff all over the world. Any work perks? Catered buffet lunch every day, just need to sign your name at the restaurants downstairs for free dinners if you are staying late, ugliest office stray cat What language is used at the workplace? Majority of staff will be able to speak english. Mandarin Chinese is still the most common language used. Within teams, sometimes French or Italian or Spanish or Japanese... depends on the staff involved. How is the after work culture at the office? Studio environment with the main task force being young architects, so movie nights in the office or nights out are very common. There are some restaurants near the office that staff can eat free at during overtime nights, and it’s usually pretty rowdy. Maybe we forgot something important? It really is what you make of it. Good place for motivated individuals who want to see more and do more. Also great place to make connections with ambitious aspiring architects from all over the world.
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What was your favorite place to go after work? Stay in the office forever c: There is a very nice live music bar at HouHai, with a patio facing the water.] How did you find accommodation? House sat for family friends. Any interesting trips during the term? Lots to do in China - the speed train will take you anywhere, relatively cheaply. I also made a birthday/visa renewal trip to Hong Kong. How safe did you find the city? I once dialed 110 (emergency services in Beijing) and received the dial tone, lol. Keep your eyes open, especially during those late night/early morning trips back from the office. What’s the best meal you had there? China’s cuisine is too blessed, there’s too much to recommend. I particularly love the street/to-go breakfasts from the carts in the mornings. Delicious, convenient, and practically free. Try the DouFuNao (a savoury soft toff pudding). They’ll serve it to you in a bubble tea cup with a straw if you’re on the run. How did you get around the city? Taxis are very cheap. Sunway is practically free.
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Who: Iryna, 3A What firm: Foreign Policy Design Group Where: Singapore When: Fall 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? ~15 How did you find your job? Instagram What tasks were you given? I’m an editorial intern, but they’ve got a great interiors and product team. Personally I’ve been: writing and researching a policy paper on co-living, helping a photo essay for publication, writing miscellaneous copy and grants. Discuss an interesting project. Researching, writing and making my own diagrams for a co-housing paper (great if you like writing!) What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? They have given me so much autonomy; they schedule weekly crits and checkins and the like but a have a lot of room to give my own input. How is the team dynamic / work environment? SO CUTE. The team gives each other rapper names (lol) and they go on a roster where we change daily who gets control over the Spotify playlist playing over the office speakers. :) mm we always do lunch together and of course everyone is completely welcoming and friendly. Occasional Friday afternoon drinking :) What tools of representation are used? Hmm the ID team used mostly rhino, sketch up and autocad Any work perks? Located in an adorable hipster neighbourhood super close to a great hawker centre with wonderful Hainanese food :) and the office has an amazinnnng library collection. Sometimes the occasional mooncakes + alcohol in the fridge for grabs :) What language is used at the workplace? English What was the most important thing you learned there? STILL HERE. but thinking a lot about the wonderful interdisciplinary opportunities between design/creative disciplines.
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What was your favourite place to go after work? home??? Sleep??? Nah singapore’s pretty beautiful and lush for a city, and the office is close to downtown so you can go out How did you find accommodation? Facebook renting group, but ask the office and they can give you some old contacts What are some must-see places there? Marina Bay anyone? Gardens by the Bay? But honestly this city takes such pride in their architectural maintenance new and old, it’s a small but wonderful downtown Any interesting trips during the term? Dude you are in the middle of Southeast Asia and flights all cost less than $100 one way GO How safe did you find the city? Literally no safer city in the world tell your parents How did you get around the city? Bus/subway/bike! Everything is so close bc the island is so small, half the time it’s just as fast to walk somewhere How did you meet people in the city? Rooming with a group of exchange students was definitely a great way to have a social circle right from the start
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Who: anonymous What firm: Shigeru Ban Architects Where: Higashi Matsubara, Setagaya, Tokyo When: Spring 2017, 3rd co-op Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Model building, drawing. How did you find your job? Personal search What tasks were you given? Model making, building paper tube housing Discuss an interesting project. Going to kamakura to build a non for profit paper tube houses for the earthquake victims. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? I had a big responsibility working 1 on 1 with my supervisor. How is the team dynamic / work environment? 1 to 2 interns per supervisor. What tools of representation are used? Physical model making, rhino. What language is used at the workplace? English, Japanese How is the after work culture at the office? The interns were spent more time interacting with each other more so than the full time employees after work What was the most important thing you learned there? working patiently.
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City Life
What was your favourite place to go after work? No mo hodai (all you can drink). How did you find accommodation? Online research - Borderless housing What are some must-see buildings/projects/museums there? Chi Chu Museum on Naoshima island. Any notes on the visa application process? (for international co-op) I went in as a Canadian tourist since i was not getting paid it wasn’t a problem Any interesting trips during the term? Naoshima and Teshima Islands How safe did you find the city? Extremely safe, be respectful. What’s the best meal you had there? SUSHI How did you get around the city? Train/subways. Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? No, i speak beginner Japanese. How did you meet people in the city? My roommates.
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Who: Jonas Chin, M1, H.BAS 2016 What firm: PlusClover Where: Hong Kong When: Post-undergrad Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Small office of 5-6 designers. Residential / interior design, retail and installations. How did you find your job? Personal search. What tasks were you given? Everything from schematic design to design mock ups and on-site work. Discuss an interesting project. A project for an outdoor lounge where the scope ranges from branding and menu design to full lounge design. Hong Kong is prone to typhoons in the summer so a lot of time was put into resolving wind issues. What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? You are usually working with a senior designer on the projects, and report directly to the lead designer. The level of involvement depends on the amount of care and effort you are willing to contribute to the job. The projects require a lot of client meetings and on-site monitoring. How is the team dynamic / work environment? It is an open studio and the office culture is quite laid back, we usually shout out any ideas or questions we have. The team goes out for lunch once a week and for special occasions. The teams operate on a small scale but the other teams help out during deadlines. What tools of representation are used? Rhino, CAD, Photoshop, Physical models. What language is used at the workplace? English, Chinese How is the after work culture at the office? People don’t really stay around after work, occasionally we went for drinks but that’s about it. What was the most important thing you learned there? How to communicate with all parties involved so everyone is on the same page, which saves a lot of unnecessary work.
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City Life
What was your favourite place to go after work? Night markets, street food stalls, rooftops. How did you find accommodation? Originally from Hong Kong, but the office usually helps. What are some must-see places there? Housing Estates from the 70s. Any interesting trips during the term? Vietnam, Kansai West Region, day trips to the local islands. How safe did you find the city? Hong Kong is very safe, and the streets are well lit until late at night. What’s the best meal you had there? Cow intestines, harder to find good ones these days but they are around. Also seafood in Sai Kung is a delicacy. How did you get around the city? Subway, bus, mini bus (Not really a bike friendly city). The tram is amazing. Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? People in Hong Kong usually speak some English. How did you meet people in the city? Meet ups, friends of friends, gallery openings. Maybe we forgot something important? There is no city quite like Hong Kong. The streets are full of stories to be discovered and there are always hidden pockets of space buried in the dense city. You can find food ranging from street food to high end cuisine; from ordering a pint to drinking on an empty tram. It is not a cheap to live in, but it is a charming city and I highly recommend it. Banana with man
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Who: Olivera Neskovic, 3B What firm: SBUILT Where: Brisbane, Australia When: Spring 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? SBUILT is a design-build firm primarily focussed on residential construction. There are 3-4 people in the office daily and around 30 on site. How did you find your job? I found my job via interweb (aka personal search). What tasks were you given? I was given a lot of responsibility at the office due to my capabilities in managing a wide variety of tasks including drawing, project management and coordination. How is the team dynamic / work environment? The team dynamic was super fun and friendly, so I felt comfortable asking questions whenever. What tools of representation are used? Adobe Suite, Autocad, Archicad. Any work perks? Coffee shop meetings, great free lunch and an office baby!
Bondi to Bronte Walk in Sydney 50
City Life
What was your favourite place to go after work? Southbank for a run to unwind after a day of work, followed by some watermelon by the river. How did you find accommodation? I lived with my boyfriend’s family. But there are lot’s of share-house websites you can use to find a place. What are some must-see places there? the GOMA, the architecture school at UQ and the Powerhouse in New Farm. Any notes on the visa application process? (for international co-op) Pretty straightforward. Canadian citizens get lots of perks - and I got my visa in a week. Any interesting trips during the term? I visited Sydnet, Melbourne, Noosa and Auckland. I got to try surfing and hiked up lots of big rocks and hills. How safe did you find the city? The city was super safe. You just have to plan your time out wisely if you’re taking public transport. What’s the best meal you had there? BRUNCH! Aussies do amazing brunch. I had the best smashed avo on thick sourdough toast with poached eggs and field mushrooms. How did you get around the city? I took the bus or was driven around by friends and family. Did you encounter any cultural or linguistic barriers? Nope. Australia has a very similar culture to Canada. How did you meet people in the city? Through my running club, my boyfriend and colleagues.
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Who: anonymous, 3B What firm: Architecture Plus Ltd. Where: Wellington, New Zealand When: Spring 2017 Workplace
What is the scope of work? How many people work there? Mainly commercial and office buildings. Around 20 people. How did you find your job? Personal search. What tasks were you given? Digitizing hand drafted projects, material and colour schedules, lead a reroofing project, construction detailing, permit set creation etc. Discuss an interesting project. Tiratora. On of the directors Stuart Gardyne’s own family home. A Victorian ‘four-square’ house that has been the subject of two major renovations and numerous minor amendments, and now exhibits an eclectic mix of contemporary additions and alterations. With courtyards, new materials and also old brick walls, the project really can’t be done justice in this short description. Look it up! What was your level of involvement and responsibility in projects? Fairly high. With a smaller number of people and a lot of work coming through the door, everyone was very collaborative. This allowed others and myself to always be highly involved in every aspect of the projects. What tools of representation are used? Auto CAD, Adobe Suite, Revit, Excel, physical samples as needed. Any work perks? Mandatory 15 min tea/ coffee break at 10am and 3pm every day, and every morning we’d do the quiz in the paper as an office. “Whitaker Wednesdays” were free chocolate bars once a week during afternoon tea. Occasional “Lunch and Learns”. Every Friday at 5 all work stops and we have “wine and cheese” (mostly beer) to finish off the week. Once a month we went out for an office yum cha lunch. Extra perks: Got tons of balloons on my birthday and presents upon leaving! How is the after work culture at the office? We had a mid-winter Christmas office party/ dinner (in July). A common New Zealand tradition, because all popularized North American Christmas songs are about winter/snow and the NZ Christmas is in the summer. Also went out on my last day as an office for burgers as part of a burger festival (like Summerlicious).
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City Life
What was your favourite place to go after work? Cuba St, to look at the shops, eat food and experience a completely different vitality than the rest of the city. How did you find accommodation? Lived with friends of friends. What are some must-see places there? “The Beehive” - government building, Te Papa Museum and the boardwalk, Watch a rugby game at the Westpac Stadium. Any notes on the visa application process? The visa was online, easy to fill out, and generally gets easily approved for Canadian Citizens. Any interesting trips during the term? Visited other areas in NZ (Auckland aka “the big city” and Queenstown, a smell ski town in the mountains). Went bungee jumping in both cities (QT being the highest jump in NZ!) Also went over to Melbourne, Australia for a week to see family and friends.
Nevis Bungee, the highest bungee jump in the country that invented bungee jumping. Queenstown, NZ
How safe did you find the city? The city was very safe. The downtown core is fairly condensed/ small, so there are always people around the popular places. There are smaller areas that are less welcoming, but this comes with any capital city. What’s the best meal you had there? Best meal: home cooked at home. Most interesting meal: Easey’s in Melbourne. Burgers & Beers served five stories up in a rooftop train carriage overlooking Melbourne City. How did you get around the city? By car was easiest (the family I stayed with drove me to and from work every day) but the transit system is great as well. Ubers at night. How did you meet people in the city? My twin sister came with me and we met people through her rugby team. Other than that, I don’t think we would have met many people our age. What was the most important thing you learned there? As sappy as it sounds, that the right people and environment can make you feel comfortable and at home even across the entire world. 53
Special thanks to: Waterloo Architecture Daniel Abad Michelle Bullough Jonas Chin Thomas Liu Saadman Ahmed Kelsey Dawson Angus Dunn Niki Farfel Roni Haravon Iryna Natalie Kopp Steven Lin Nick Makhalik Kelsey Malott Mia Milanovic Jasdeep Multani Olivera Neskovic T.K. Justin Ng Nina Wang Emmeily Zhang anonymous contributors
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