#bacconnex2023

[bac-connex]

Thank you ICON Architecture!

Thank you ICON Architecture for the amazing externship experience and your commitment to welcoming and mentoring BAC students like myself as we start our careers in the architecture industry! Everything I learned during the brief one week experience at your firm was incredibly insightful and helpful for my portfolio, resume, and career development. There are a lot of skills and areas I’ve realized I’m not proficient at and I will spend my remaining time at the BAC to gain proficiency and expertise in the industry standard programs (Revit, SketchUp, Enscape, Lumion) that matter most to any architecture firm.

[bac-connex]

A discerning and valued client!

This apartment building is in Somerville designed by the Live studio practice at ICON. There are very specific site constraints that need to be met in order for the client and the community to approve of its construction. There were many considerations taken into account, from the number of unit types, the massing and scale allowed by zoning, ground floor retail requirements, and the grading of the terrain. The client is discerning and wanted the facade of the building to be attractive despite the limitations of the budget. ICON Architecture prepared several different iterations of what the facade materials could look like when used in different ways.

This is a renovation project located in Quincy designed by the Interiors studio practice at ICON. The client wanted to update the existing amenity spaces to create a more attractive and modern interior for residents to use. Mood boards and material palettes were curated to create a cohesive theme to tie together the various spaces that will be renovated. The client had a certain vision that needed to be reconciled with the limitations of their budget and space constraints.

[bac-connex]

ICON Beach House Design

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Day 4 DCAMM

Ellie W.

Today at DCAMM we watched a presentation with Thea energy team and prepared a presentation for a group of new BAC students coming by for orientation! It was interesting to hear about DCAMM’s commitment to going carbon neutral by 2050. Additionally, we got to see DCAMM’s work culture of mentorship in action by talking to Tony Ransom, a 1984 graduate of the BAC, architect, project manager, and NOMA leader, and watching our own DCAMM representatives Brenna and Dyana lead the tour of new students visiting the office.

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Today began with another train ride on the greenline, followed by a lovely walk through the park and past the state house to arrive at DCAMM. Today we began our day by meeting with the accessibility division of DCAMM. Here we learned about the MAAB and ADA which are regulations for buildings to ensure accessibility. Often in the past disabled people were not accounted for and thus the accessibility division of DCAMM are trying to increase regulation of new building and continue the renovation of older buildings.

From the office we then departed for the Shattock Hospital which is being newly renovated to replaced its predecessor and namesake. Once on site we got an in depth introduction to the story behind the building which took many years to get to the point of construction and is one of DCAMM's largest project to date. We went down through the muddy construction site into the basement then took the elevator up to their on site DCAMM HQ. There we got to speak with one of their on site architects and their PM about the buildings design down to the hinges on the doors. We looked over the plans they had hanging on the walls and then began our tour. We got to see a completely gutted floor and one with walls still intact, then onto the mock up on the roof. The whole experience was fascinating, to get a glance into the design of hospitals-- especially on a state level.

Then after a brief lunch break and a car ride out to Framingham we arrived at the new Mass Bay Community College building. This building will accommodate a spectrum of health care training facilities including mock nursing and EMT simulation classrooms. A new building, the exterior is beautifully modern with an art installation and many big windows. The interior was beginning to take shape as we got to see freshly plastered classrooms, offices and finally the roof. You could tell how much time was put into the process of designing this building.

Then back to the greenline and safely home! Another great day at DCAMM!

[bac-connex]

Day 2 at DCAMM

Ellie W.

Today at DCAMM we travelled to visit two construction sites and viewed a presentation about how DCAMM works to achieve accessibility and universal design.

The first project we visited was a hospital property that DCAMM is renovating to replace the Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain. It was very interesting to talk to the architects and project managers about how the design typology of the building must be specific not only to a medical setting, but also to the individual departments inside the hospital. For example, the area of the hospital which will be used by the department of corrections has to be extra secure and include inpatient services, while the mental health unit requires unique anti ligatory fixtures and windows with access to fresh air. I found the scale of this project to be very impressive, and the level of thought and research that informed the design will make it a very promising replacement for Shattuck.

The second project we visited was in Framingham, where DCAMM is building a brand new higher education facility for MassBay Community College. In both projects I was inspired by the way the architects had designed in section in order to save energy and create seamless designs on a limited footprint.

[bac-connex]

Qiaoer's Day1 at DCAMM

It is such an awesome day with the DCAMM! It is so good to see all my BAC buddies, Ellie, Eileen, and Rodolfo. In the morning, Brenna, Liz, and Dyana gave us a very good tour of the office and an introduction to DCAMM. It is so good to see the renovated 15th floor. It is a sizeable office area with the awesome Boston City view! After that, we had an interesting tour of the State House, which is right next to the office building. The project managers Marlene and David showed us the renovated work at the State House, and we were able to visit the balcony as well. It is a very good chance and we appreciate it!! In the afternoon, we had a chance to talk to the office of planning. Elayne, Sarah, and Marlene introduced higher education projects in Massachusetts. It's great to know about it and ask questions. After that, we wrapped up the day with a meeting with Brenna and Dyana about the design selection process. It is good to know how the Design Selection Board works. Can't wait for next Tuesday!

[bac-connex]

First day at ICON!

WOW! What an amazing first day of my externship! I got a tour of the office, met some of the staff and joined in on work meetings throughout the day. It's a lot of information all at once but I'm learning the dynamics of an office work culture and the language of design. Stay tuned!

[bac-connex]

BLG's Intro (Jan 2023)

My name is Beth Lundell Garver and I am Dean of Practice. It is thrilling to see our second cohort of PCX students go out into the world and soak in life as design professionals. Thank you to our incredible firm partners for making this special experience possible for our students.

[bac-connex]

Thank You Nbbj

To being able to experience and be part of an office culture, for a week. It has been an amazing week in my career to self-discovery.

Thank you all for the amazing week and all the activities you guys planned for us.

[bac-connex]

The best mentor possible 

First of all I would like to thank Brenna for amazing opportunity at DCAMM .

She was extremely organized and planned a very effective week at DCAMM giving us the opportunity to meet such an abundant group of employees from different departments. 

Having the chance to explore the workspace and understand what are the struggles and benefits of each profession needed the communication and planning skills Brenna provided to us.

Seeing the abundance of positions influenced me to rethink on my educational decisions , opening an acknowledgment on what steps to take throughout my education. Seeing me question those steps Brenna provided questions and time in our meetings with each department so we can act on our decisions with the correct information from the best possible source.

She also created an environment where I felt as a part of DCAMM like I have been working in the firm for a long time.my team had the chance to discuss and cooperate with each other due to the freedom given to us .

we realized this sense of connectivity between all employees at DCAMM.

I’ve entered the program with so much anxiety and fear but left with confidence and triumph.

[bac-connex]

Final Day

Wow

What an amazing week we had, from shadowing meetings, and exploring a little from every team at nbbj, to site visits portfolio reviews and walking around following engineers do their thing. I really wasn't expecting to get so much exposure from different fronts in so little time. I am deeply thankful for everyone at nbbj, specially Anna.

Also i want to thank my buddy ~ I haven't meet many people so devoted to their own personal growth, being constant and able to step out of your comfort zone to gain experience and a new vision of things is so scary at times and my buddy just did it for a whole week.

Perspective it's really all you need in life, isn't it.

Thanks for all the other group members that presented their experiences on their firms. You all rock ~

Thanks George for the photos :D

( also sorry for the delay, it was brought to my attention i posted this on my personal instead of the BAC acc)

[bac-connex]

Mentors are...

inspiration / hope / transformation

Sometimes during our path of students we give for granted a lot of the opportunities where we are allowed to stop, take a breather, analyze the problem and construct something new. This week showed me how good mentorship and teamwork allows you to do this even under stress and work scenarios.

We had a couple of site visits and portfolio review today, and honestly every experience after the other kept changing my POV over the architectural field. So many approaches and visions colliding and forging one project its really inspiring.

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Day 5: Supportive always-together Buddies

This year I’m committed to seeking out more mentors that will guide me on my path to becoming an architect and project manager.

Exploring outside of my immediate field in architecture really open my mind into different fields I could go with my degree in architecture. I hope that this year I can find opportunities that will help me brach out and learn different things. Also this year and in the future I want to speak out about what I want in the future, like project management. I think this will help me find the right mentors that are willing to show me the ropes, and hopefully they will see my enthusiasm from the beginning.

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Day 4: An Energetic Mentor

The most important quality and skill that a mentor should have is being able to listen to the mentee with any problems or any hopes that they may have and be able to have the time to be able to guide them towards the path that they want to take. In turn a mentee, should be able to listen to the mentor and be able to accept constructive criticism. Also be able to tell your mentor the path that you see for yourself.

At DCAMM we learn that the way that the departments are set up you always have some to report back to. That person is your point of contact and they have way that they communicate. For example, they have biweekly meetings where theres talk about the projects but also about career development and how they can be on a way they can land that role that they hope for in the future.

Brenna was our point of contact in DCAMM and she was always in every step. She listen to our needs, answered any questions we had and also asks us for any feedback that we may have for future externships. We really appreciated her in this journey.

[bac-connex]

Thank you DCAMM!

It is hard to narrow down my favorite part about this externship. After just one week I have learned so much about DCAMM and the people who work there. I was inspired each day by the passion, work ethic and overall camaraderie of DCAMM as a whole. This externship is an opportunity I didn’t know I needed and I am extremely grateful to have had this opportunity!