Co-Op Term Experience
“As a student intern at SHA, I had a range of responsibilities including working on design competitions, tackling façade designs, independently co-ordinating drawing sets for various stages of building applications, building 3D models, learning how to design and detail using bricks, researching zoning bylaws, and participating in drawing intake meetings at City Hall. During my 8 months with SHA I worked on around 20 projects, helping out where I could best apply my skills.
I worked with almost everyone in the office, from principals to senior project managers to other interns. Everyone was very friendly and although they were busy with each of their respective projects, I appreciated that they took the time to explain tasks and talk through design problems with me.
I worked on many different residential projects, from single-family homes to townhomes, as well as one 20-storey tower and a heritage building restoration. I also contributed to some commercial/warehouse projects, and helped work on our firm’s submission to the Urbanarium Missing Middle competition.
It’s always frustrating to learn new software and I struggled with this at first while learning Vectorworks. With everyone so busy on their own projects I felt annoying asking for help, but once I realized that the whole team was interested in helping me learn, I didn’t have any problems.
Working at SHA, I’ve been able to contribute to so many different projects, all in different phases of design. I appreciated being able to work with team members at different levels in the firm, which gave me a more holistic understanding of how an architecture firm functions. The firm also hosts fun events like Fitness Friday, summertime barbeques, and chocolate chip cookie bake-offs which are really unique to SHA and made it a great place to work.
I would definitely recommend working at SHA to other classmates. I learned so much, and I think others would enjoy this experience as well. It’s great to see how to bring buildings from the page into real life while working in a fun environment in a beautiful city. Thank you to everyone at SHA who made this possible for me, and best of luck with your future projects!”
Bio
Natalie is interested in creative problem solving and instigating social change by exploring architectural elements that highlight an engaging building style. She’s excited to delve into the way buildings come together, the logic that drives how spaces are planned, and the materials that ground them. Outside of work, Natalie is an avid sketcher, beach volleyball enthusiast, and amateur ukulele player.
Education & Credentials
Natalie is currently in her fourth year of a five-year undergraduate program at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. She is very excited to apply her knowledge and continue learning as a part of the team at Stuart Howard Architects.