Tommy worked with us from January to April 2017
Co-Op Term Experience
“At SHA my responsibilities evolved with my capabilities within the firm. When I first arrived in Vancouver my responsibilities were essentially just to arrive at work on time and to help with whatever minor drawing tasks I was given for the day. As I became more comfortable with Vector-works I was given more and more responsibilities, which included modeling an existing building and then continuing to model the proposed renovation on said building; working with project architects to complete drawing sets in both the DP and BP stages of the building process; and I even had the chance to sit in on city meetings for some of these projects.
I worked happily and effectively with almost everyone at the firm, from intern architects to project architects, as well as the principals of the firm. I am happy to say that I learned an immense amount over my 4 month Co-op term, no matter whom I was working with or what level of “person(s)” they were, everyone was easily approachable if I had any questions and I always felt well prepared by my superiors whenever I began a new task.
I worked primarily on single and multi-family residential dwellings, but because of the office’s open studio and social nature, I was exposed to a wide range of other projects that my co-workers were working on along side me. These projects included industrial, commercial, mixed-use and laneway infill buildings.
The rain! WOW, does it ever rain a lot in Vancouver! When I am being paid to do something interesting, but difficult, it does not seem hard, but rather it feels more like a challenge. Learning Vector-works was a challenge at first, one, which I was able to quickly overcome. So were some of the drawing deadlines that I was given, all in all, my Co-op term has been a challenge, but a fun one at that and when I leave I will be leaving with new knowledge and experience that I would not have been leaving with if I had not been challenged.
Before SHA I had never worked in a traditional office setting before, let alone an architecture firm. Every day here I gained experience interacting and working in this kind of a work environment, something I would still be lacking had I not done my co-op term here. Along with that, I learned an immense amount about the Zoning and Building By-Laws in Vancouver as well as the day-to-day interactions between architects and the city in which they work and how these interactions can either expedite or prolong the building process. Finally, I learned to design a building that could actually be built!
YES! I’d recommend SHA to anyone who asked and probably to anyone who didn’t…“