Foundations for the Future | An internship at BoonBrown
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I was invited to write this blog because this summer I had the wonderful opportunity to take part in an internship at the architectural studio, BoonBrown, in their London office.
During my second year at university, I participated in a very meaningful project that made it possible for me to take part in this practice. The brief was to design a sustainable social housing scheme for a minority community of our choosing, in my case the Yoruba community, in the historically diverse neighbourhood of St. Paul’s, right at the centre of Bristol.
This project allowed us not only to comprehend more in-depth the intricacies of social housing, but to understand the importance of diversity in cities and accommodating the needs of a multicultural society. Throughout this project, our tutors made sure we would learn about the current housing situation in the United Kingdom, in partnership with a housing association, Stonewater, which both accompanied us through the process of designing this project as well as presented my cohort with this opportunity to work at BoonBrown, due to their relationship. In June, my project was shortlisted alongside seven others to be presented in competition at Stonewater’s office in Reading, with the winner receiving a paid internship with BoonBrown. I was very grateful to have been selected by the judges, including James Krikler, an Associate from the London studio, as well as members from Stonewater’s team and UWE Bristol.
I can only describe my two weeks at BoonBrown as a formative, enriching and overall enjoyable work experience, full of support, that made me look forward to my future as an architect and planner. This was in fact my first work experience related to my degree and therefore I did not know what to expect from it. Either way, I knew that I wanted to make the best out of this experience and looked forward to all I could learn from it. Throughout this time at the London studio, to my surprise, I got to work on three different projects, all of which allowed me to improve my skills, as well as to deepen my understanding of what true architectural work looks like. However, most importantly, it made me more confident to take on projects and to get on with work, which I most appreciate.
This next year at university, I am beginning my year abroad at the Politecnico di Milano, in Milan, Italy and I can see how many of the skills I acquired throughout this internship will be useful when both getting adjusted at this new university, as well as taking on the challenges that this new stage will present me with. BoonBrown helped me refine my technical skills in tools such as Revit, Autocad and Photoshop, showing me the importance of versatility and proficiency in a wide range of skills. It would allow me to tackle a diverse array of projects and do so both in the quickest yet most correct and accurate manner.
This takes me to my second and maybe the most important lesson from this experience, which was that of learning what true work with clients looks like. The first project I was introduced to by Technical Director Dan Dymond allowed me to interact with the intricacies of big housing projects, the way that properties need to be divided and how these boundaries are key when settling matters such as fixing fences or other affairs once the houses are inhabited. The second project, the renovation of former chicken sheds, introduced me to the demands of conforming to a budget, or at least accommodating for the cheapest ways in which one can deliver quality spaces and architecture; seeking the way in which we can best adjust to the demands of the client, while respecting the existing structure and its limits; and last but not least, dealing with deadlines and the type of drawings that may be introduced at the first discussions with clients. The third project allowed me to be introduced to a more coherent and cohesive way of presenting my future projects, experimenting with a mix of Autocad and Photoshop that helped me refine elevations and sections.
I would like to thank everyone at the office, especially Studio Director Abigail Baggley, James Krikler, Dan Dymond and Architectural Assistant Shanice Natalia for all the support, patience and confidence that they provided and invested in me throughout this work experience, as well as the rest of the team that took me on and made me feel part of BoonBrown from the first day.
It is very rewarding to know that I participated in true projects that will be built somewhere and that I got to learn so much in such a short amount of time. I now look forward to my third year in Milan and know that I have the skills to take on this challenge as well as future work experiences as an architect.
Thank you BoonBrown.