Back to School

By: Daniel Roman

            It is great to be back this semester for our second to last semester of our college careers. It was a fun and interesting break this past break. I was able to see family and friends, have some fun and enjoy myself. But more than anything I was able to land an internship while in the city. I worked for three weeks while in Chicago.

            The firm is called Amphion Engineering, it’s a small office, it was located at a local neighborhood, the office had been around for just two years. They had taken an old body shop warehouse and remodeled the interior to fit an office where clients are able to arrive and meet with the architect and workers. The office wasn’t made up many people, which meant a lot of us had to take various roles and jobs when it came to a project.

            On my first day I was briefed about the firm and I met everyone who worked there. I was assigned a project and I was sent out on the field to take measurements. I was sent out with a co-worker to show me how to take proper measurements. The first day I was already on the field, I was able to meet with the client, for the job was for an in fracture of the city, for the client had a children day care in their basement, the renovation was made without telling the city and obtaining proper documentation for the construction. Someone told the city and the city told her that she had to comply with the city regulations.

            The following week I was sent out to measure a two story building with a basement that had four dwelling living units, a complete renovation had to be created and I was given the freedom to come up with a layout and then adjustment would have to be made according to the client’s request. I enjoyed working at a small firm, you are able to work on different stages of the project. Therefore one is able to work and experience more. I was able to contact clients in regards to their project, updating them and sending them updates in regards to the drawings.

            I was able to use these hours towards my IDP hours, I had already set up an account couple summers prior for I worked for Precast/ Prestressed Concrete Institute in Chicago. IDP is a very important aspect of becoming an architect. I am just glad that I have been able to start setting up these hours. In the office there are a couple guys that are nearing the time of their IDP and are going to start prepping to take the Architecture exam, perhaps I will be able to oversee them while they are studying and going over the material. I am going to be in contact with the office and possibly help them while I am in school.

            I am looking forward to this semester for this semester will be highly based on our thesis, over the break I was able to look more in the topic of Maslow and the site, Cobden IL. This semester is turning out to be a very busy one, for I am also taking a furniture class that I am looking forward to, part of architecture is furniture, come down to be able to build something and create something, many companies spend years making their chairs and tables perfect down to the right angle of incline, and to get the opportunity to be able to start such project is pretty interesting.

            Looking forward the other class I am looking forward to is the history class, with Dr. Davey, possibly mostly because of the professor, even during our first meeting with him, I recall as to how intelligent he is. I am always impressed as to how much a lot of these professors know. What Dr. Davey is so good at is knowing a lot more than just architecture, but he is able to implement that knowledge towards architecture design, and I think that’s what our thesis is mostly about, implementing our research towards the design of our thesis, to really explain the “Why?” aspect of certain decisions.