Archinect - News

Rookie Tip: Don't try to "prove yourself." Try to be effective.

2020-02-05T18:06:00-05:00

Often times, early in our careers, we ruminate over questions tied to a desire to prove our worth to an employer. “I need to show them that they made the right choice in hiring me,” or “I can’t ask too many questions or they’ll think I’m stupid.” Whatever it is, when we focus so much on ourselves we end up inadvertently doing a worse job because we are preoccupied with our insecurity rather than with performing well.

Instead, we would do better to realize that our goal is to make the lives of those around us easier. Do not worry about getting recognition, let the person directly above you have all of the recognition, make them look good, make their life exponentially easier than it was before you arrived. This should be the primary focus.

Go the effective extra mile

Consider this example: I used to always try to anticipate what my supervisor may not have thought of for a meeting, it could have been something small like tracing paper, an extra pen, a print out of an email. Anything t...

Architect to Architect? to Jail.

2017-11-29T13:16:00-05:00

The stamp, forged signatures, false paperwork — they were like the scaffolding of a building of his own design, one with no firm foundation.

A fake architect named Paul J. Newman has been sentenced to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison for posing as an architect in eastern New York.

Newman also was ordered Tuesday in Saratoga County Court to pay more than $115,000 to his victims in Albany, Rensselaer, and Saratoga counties.

Newman pleaded guilty in June to grand larceny and fraud after an investigation by New York's attorney general dubbed "Operation Vandelay Industries." Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office said Newman had rendered fraudulent architectural services since 2010. Victims included municipalities and businesses.

Schneiderman dubbed the operation to nab Newman "Vandelay Industries" in reference to a long-running joke on "Seinfeld" about a fictional company by that name. A character named Newman was Jerry's nemesis on the sitcom.

A day in the life of a (fictional) architecture intern

2016-04-06T13:50:00-04:00

7:31 am Ugh, forgot I’m working for a dude. 7:34 am I wonder if the dude has a family. 7:36 am Weird how I know all the female architects’ parental statuses but I don’t know the dudes’. 7:37 am I should stop referring to GREATEST ARCHITECT OF ALL TIME as “dude,” even in my head. Begin referring to him as GOAT. (Greatest Of All Time.) 8:00 am Why is the subway late? Should I walk? If I walk I’m gonna get sweaty.

While this fictional young architecture intern may confuse pandas with penumbras, she doesn't seem to have any problems affording her new internship for the "Greatest Architect of All Time."

That's not the case for all interns, however. For a look at the economics of interning in 2016, check out The internship test or: why even become an architect at all?

And for even more on architecture internships, here's some more Archinect coverage:

Are you experienced? NCARB changes IDP to AXP: Architectural Experience Program

2016-01-28T13:03:00-05:00

After announcing last summer that it would "sunset" the term "intern" from its nomenclature, NCARB has now begun enacting that transition with the Intern Development Program, which will be renamed the Architectural Experience Program (AXP). The change will become effective on June 29 of this year.

NCARB is quick to remind architects (current and aspiring) that, as states still set their own terms for licensure, this update to the not-yet-an-architect label will not affect who may call themselves an "architect" – a term still reserved for those who are licensed. To minimize confusion, existing regulations that refer to the new AXP title will be accompanied by: "formerly known as the Intern Development Program, or IDP" – just like Prince.

As for how to refer to actual people, NCARB is sticking with "aspiring architects" or "exam candidates" for those who aren't yet licensed, and "architects" for those who are, while also deferring to the authority of individual licensing boards to dec...

Editor's Picks #423

2015-07-13T00:47:00-04:00

Julia Ingalls explored how a firm the size of Gensler manages to maintain a cohesive studio culture. midlander wondered "when did Gensler get so big? I feel like I never heard of them until 10 years ago, then suddenly they were everywhere? Was it organic growth or have they been buying up local firms to expand?"

News
The NYT reported the Studio Museum in Harlem, will construct a new $122 million home designed by the British architect David Adjaye on West 125th Street.

SALT released Global Tools 1973-1975 (a free downloadable book) which compiles/archives the lessons of the "non-school", founded by members of a radical Italian pedagogy group from the 1970s.

One year after Operation Protective Edge, Haaretz examined what (if anything) has changed since the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, and asks "If we don't learn from our wars, are we doomed to repeat them?" +A ziz thinks "Gaza might as well be the saddest place on Earth…"

Anna Daugherty penned a eulogy for Francis Tsai, previo...

Editor's Picks #422

2015-07-06T13:40:00-04:00

Nicholas Korody interviewed Andrés Jacque (of the Office for Political Innovation ) about COSMO, the winning entry of this year’s MoMA PS1 Young Architect’s Program competition. Therein he argued "I believe that the architect’s role nowadays can also be providing alternatives, and enriching through diversity the collective catalogue of desirable possibilities."

Thayer-D commented "I don't think this qualifies as architecture, but it's very interesting" to which Kozumelle responded "I have seen this in person and it is not architecture in the strictest sense but still a wonderful, fantastic idea. Jaque's ideas are always politically charged and veer into other territories and he does it well."

Plus, for Screen/Print #34 Amelia Taylor-Hochberg featured the latest edition of KTISMA , from the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts.

News
The Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition selected Paris-based Moreau Kusunoki Architectes as the grand-prize winners.

midlander likes...

Editor's Picks #416

2015-05-20T11:26:00-04:00

Nicholas Korody profiled the work, of Greek-born architect Andreas Angelidakis.

Therein Angelidakis explains "I guess the only thing I really 'design' is narratives for objects I find and put together, and this process does not need to be defined as completed by a realized object. You can keep designing even after the object is there, because it’s a mental process". davvid for one was "so glad to see Andreas's work on Archinect!"

Plus, Julia Ingalls provided six answers to the question There are tons of architecture job openings these days. Why aren't you hired yet? flatroof quipped "The ‘there are so many jobs!!!’ articles are back. Must mean another recession is just around the corner". Scott Smith agreed "I'm afraid you're so right. I feel the same way".

News
The Barack Obama Foundation announced that the Barack Obama Presidential Center will be located on Chicago's South Side, at a site near either Washington Park or Jackson Park. Donna Sink thought "Blair Kamin's gave some excell...

NCARB will phase out the "intern" title

2015-05-14T20:49:00-04:00

The great intern-titling debate has been resolved – "intern" is getting the boot.

This Thursday at the AIA National Convention in Atlanta, NCARB President Dale McKinney announced that NCARB's Board of Directors had unanimously agreed to "discontinue the use of the word intern, intern-architect, or any other regulatory "title" describing those pursuing licensure." The "sunsetting" of the term "intern" was proposed by the Future Title Task Force, a committee of interns and licensed architects, who devoted a year of research and discussion to evaluating the IDP program and specifically, the naming debate around the word "intern" and the different progressive phases around licensure. Under this proposal, there exists no specific title for those seeking licensure. The Task Force's proposal also included continuations of two policies: that "architect" can only apply to licensed architects, and that "architect emeritus" would continue to be used for identifying those who are licensed but no...

Editor's Picks #415

2015-05-14T09:32:00-04:00

Nick Cecchi penned a review of ‘Lina Bo Bardi: Together’ on view at the Graham Foundation through July 25th. He found the

"narrow focus wisely limits Together to investigating the conditions and experiences that helped shape Bo Bardi’s mature approach to architecture...Bo Bardi’s work and life resist reduction and compartmentalization into terms easily digested. To experience and understand Together is to experience the sum of conflicting experiences, opinions, and buildings Bo Bardi brought into this world".

midlander commented "that drawing of chairs is beautiful! I love her work. It's rugged and big without being standoffish. Knew nothing about her background - interesting".

Plus, Nicholas Korody published Getting Lost in the Ozone, the third installment of the recurring feature Architecture of the Anthropocene.

News
This week at the AIA National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, NCARB aims to settle the debate over the title “Intern Architect” with an address by CEO Michael Armstrong ...

Archinect's Lexicon: "Intern"

2015-05-08T18:24:00-04:00

Archinect's Lexicon usually focuses on newly invented (or adopted) architectural vocabulary. For this installment, we're featuring a very well-known, and comparably contentious, term.

Outside of architecture, the word “intern” (n.) is generally defined as “a student or trainee who works, sometimes without pay, at a trade or occupation in order to gain work experience.” In general professional parlance, when one does an “internship”, they become an intern. The word is used differently within architecture. NCARB defines “intern” as “any person who by means of their education or experience has qualified to enter the IDP… the term intern refers to any individual in the process of satisfying a registration board’s experience requirements. This includes anyone not registered to practice architecture in a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction, graduates from NAAB-accredited programs, architecture students who acquire acceptable experience prior to graduation, and other qualified individuals identi...

Episode 2 of "Archinect Sessions" podcast out now!

2014-10-16T19:35:00-04:00

"Archinect Sessions" is a weekly podcast discussing recent news items and happenings on the site. Hosted by Archinect's founder and publisher, Paul Petrunia, alongside Editorial Manager Amelia Taylor-Hochberg, the podcast pulls on the expertise of special weekly co-hosts, whether other Archinectors or players within the architecture community at large.

Co-hosts Donna Sink and Ken Koense join us for our second episode, to discuss licensing and IDP issues at NCARB, the value of mentorship in the profession, and the latest news on the Moriyama RAIC International Prize. We also spoke with Archinector Terri Peters about her coverage of the Moriyama Prize, and have a special bonus interview (available below) with Haley Gipe, Assoc. AIA, who's involved with the renaming issue through NCARB and AIA.

To listen to the "Archinect Sessions" podcast:

iTunes: Click here to subscribe, and click the "Subscribe" button below the logo to automatically download new episodes.
Apple Podcast App (iOS): cl...

Big businesses and baby steps: Weekly News Round-Up for September 22 and 29, 2014

2014-10-06T18:43:00-04:00

Friday, October 3:

Eisenhower Memorial clears key hurdle on Gehry design: In a positive step for the Memorial's Approving Process Odyssey, the National Capital Planning Commission has OK'd the Commission on Fine Arts (the other federal body that must approve the design) to vote on the Memorial.
Where are the women? Measuring progress on gender in architecture: A series of infographics on the representation of women in architectural practice and education, courtesy of ACSA.

Wednesday, October 1:

Guggenheim plans New York expansion… again: Not for more art space (Gehry tried that before) but for offices.
Zaera-Polo steps down as dean of Princeton's School of Architecture: From the press release: "the school's former dean, Professor Stanley T. Allen, will serve as acting dean until a permanent successor is appointed and that Professor Allen will chair the search for the new dean."
Tiny Spanish Island to be First Energy Self-Sufficient Island: The 10,000 population island will use renewable e...

NCARB revises "Intern Architect" title for architects pursuing licensure

2014-09-04T21:25:00-04:00

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) convened its new Future Title Task Force, which is comprised of interns and architects from across the country, to discuss the profession’s title debate. The task force is charged with discussing the terminology used for those who are candidates for licensure and those who are architects.

The word "intern" contains a minefield of professional connotations. The job-title is often associated with a position that is unpaid, undervalued, or disposable, flying in the face of employment laws and professional ethics. And in some ways, it's no different in the architecture industry: it's deplorably and repeatedly the case that unpaid internships play an integral role in professional practice. It seems strange then, that the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) uses the title "Intern Architect" as the official term for those educated enough to pursue licensure. Under this definition, the babe in the woods can have the same title as a seasoned vet.

This disconcerting overlap of meanings has led NCARB to reconsider the term used to describe practicing professionals seeking licensure. NCARB's newly formed Future Title Task Force met late last August to outline the issues of this sticky naming-debate, eventually to determine what architects, before and aft...

Editor's Picks #364

2014-04-22T21:24:00-04:00

For the latest edition of the Working out of the Box feature Archinect talked with Emily Fischer, Founder of Haptic Lab.

In the interview she explains how she started "The very first quilted map I made was designed to be a wayfinding tool for the visually impaired; my mother was diagnosed with glaucoma and macular degeneration while I was a student at TCAUP”.

Fred Scharmen commented "Those kites are amazing!".

Meanwhile issue #12 of Screen/Print highlighted The Cairo Review's "Future of the City" along with One:Twelve (the student-run journal from the Knowlton School of Architecture) seventh issue, Black and White.

News
As demolition of the Folk Art Museum began Amelia and Paul moderated a conversation between Archinect Contributors Ken Koense and Donna Sink, Quilian Riano and Lee Rosenbaum, who writes about art museums for the Wall Street Journal.

vado retro was curious "Would we have the same outrage say if a hospital were the ones tearing down the FAM...Our response of outrage is a...

Editor's Picks #317

2013-05-28T19:03:00-04:00

In the latest edition of Working out of the Box: Archinect interviewed Larraine Henning who is currently seeking funding for A Practical Guide to Squatting on Indiegogo. @bawshaw commented "@LandMass - agreed. although the thesis is interesting, this is not out of the box in terms of a career"...Yet Connely Farr disagreed "@ LandMass - yep. you sound like an ass".

In the latest edition of Working out of the Box: Archinect interviewed Larraine Henning who is currently seeking funding for A Practical Guide to Squatting on Indiegogo. Buy a copy of the book “A Practical Guide to Squatting”, and help support independent art and promote the squatting movement! During the interview, she reflected "I think the most valuable thing architecture school bestowed upon me was tolerance and persistence...School taught me to bear conviction and purpose with whatever project I take on, to be earnest and to take judgement in stride"...

@bawshaw commented "@LandMass - agreed. although the thesis is interesting, this is not out of the box in terms of a career. half of my graduating class ended up taking similar paths; more as a product of the recession than anything else. these paths may be alternative to the modern career, but not to architecture specifically. i do applaud her for doing what she believes in".

Yet Connely Farr disagreed "@ LandMass - yep. ...

Exploitation of Interns Coming to an End?

2012-12-27T13:17:00-05:00

Unpaid interns are common in architecture firms, but recent lawsuits brought by interns across other industries may have the architecture industry forking out some cash. In many industries, the term ‘intern’ is often used to describe someone who works for no pay, but the NCARB’s IDP has been trying to detach interns from the assumption by architecture firms that they are willing to work for free. The council defines architectural internships as post-graduate, pre-registration professional work.

Op-Ed: Architect Magazine Finally Found its Voice

2012-11-28T03:04:00-05:00

I recently received my November Issue of Architect and for the first time since the blogs caused us all to begin devouring images at warp speed and sent print media into a battle for survival, I actually "read" an architecture magazine. It was truly satisfying.

From its inception, the idea behind Architect was clear; its title was the proof. Architectural Record had lost touch. It had become a glossy product placement catalog, serving its advertisers but increasingly bereft of intellectual rigor. Architect promised to peel back the facade of idealized pre-occupancy images and to share the stories of the people who make architecture: to deliver us process and ideas. The bar was high and so were many of our expectations. Perhaps that is why I have been so underwhelmed as Architect has struggled for nearly 7 years to find a voice. The magazine has taken us on a journey from in-depth interviews of firms producing irrelevant projects, to garnish cartoony graphics that distracted from...