Picking up what's left

Just finished my internship this Friday so I thought I ought to give this world an update.
Couple reasons why I chose to intern this summer despite it was an absolutely exhausting year abroad:

1. I've never interned before. Gotta have a little taste of real industry before hitting grad school.
2. I chose to intern in Taiwan because I haven't been home for a year and also I am not familiar with the architecture scene in Taiwan.
3. Have to keep myself busy so I can stop thinking about some stupid stuff that had been bothering me for a year.

Well, mostly the last reason.

And so off we go to the capital city of Taiwan, where I had the privilege to intern in one of the most prestigious design studios- CJ Studio!

The benefit of interning in small firms is that you can get your hands on all sorts of tasks. I had been assigned to do various things by my coworkers and boss, such as: integrating 3D models, transforming 2D drawings into 3D model, detailed drawings, fixing plans, site visiting along with on-site measuring, and even conceptual designing. Besides working I also read on my own time since the studio also houses a tremendous collections of architecture and interior design books.

Freedom is established by limitations. By knowing what a designer can control, I now know what more I can design. For example: the parapet, the little overhang, the connection between the materials, the pattern of the floor, the post and lintel...etc all can drastically change the outcome of an architecture. These are some details that schools cannot cover, yet crucial for architecture education.

Here's a list of things I wished to achieve this summer through internship;
1. Get familiar with AutoCAD (check)
2. Get familiar with SketchUp (check)
3. Get familiar with Grasshopper (failed)
4. Improve physical modeling skill (failed)
5. Read sh*t tons of books (ended up reading: Architecture of Happiness, Towards a new architecture, Complexity and contradiction, Essential Texts, Why we build, S, M, L, XL, and many other architects' portfolios and magazines...so I guess, check?)

It's been a really beneficial experience. I look forward to intern in other countries now.

Construction site visiting

1. Fixing floor plans and figuring out hotel room design 2. Observing Prof. Jeong-Der Ho's experimentation 3. Pouring concrete and wax in for the experiment