July 12 2019: 3 Hours
Today I toured the office space which is occupied by Kirksey Architecture, an architecture institution which is based in the cities of Houston and Austin. My original intention was to gain experience with what it may be like to work in an architecture firm by requesting an internship opportunity at Kirksey, however, the interns which they accept are usually college students who are attending their third or fourth year of study. Although this was the case, I managed to stay in contact with Janis Brackett, who this the executive vice president of community architecture projects, and I we arranged to meet up at Kirksey for a tour so that I could gain some insight regarding the atmosphere and work culture within an architecture firm. This tour was a unique opportunity as I visited on the same day that some students from the University of Texas were also receiving a tour, and presenting a project that they have been preparing for a community center along the Galveston coast. During the tour, I found it interesting to learn about how the firm is divided into the types of projects which they receive. For instance, different groups work on hospitality buildings, while others design schools, hospitals, community centers, and office spaces. In addition to solely designing the overall structure of the buildings, it was interesting to learn about the process of designing the interiors of buildings by compiling varying sample materials from a large storage room which seemed similar to a library.
Following the tour of the workspace, the students from the University of Texas, their professors, Janis Bracket, and Catherine Callaway, another senior associate who focuses on community projects, gathered together in a large conference room to discuss the student's current project. I found it interesting to listen in on this, as this experience provided me with the opportunity to observe what architects consider when they are given a project to create. Specifically, the students presented a gathering area for the Galveston community center, which provides shade, toilets, water fountains, and places to sit. They plan to place their structure adjacent to the coast, as it is open to the environment, and the ocean will provide a breeze to compensate for the lack of air conditioning. Also, placing this type of structure by the coast allows people to enjoy the sounds of the water and the view while they are inhabiting the space. Further, the students ensured that their structure was oriented in a way that would provide optimal shading for visitors, by designing the roof to extend beyond the structure's outside pillars. This way, people located in the center of the structure would receive more protection from sun rays which are come in on an angle.
After the occurrence of this presentation, some designers who work for Kriksey architecture presented some plans that they have been working on for the rest of the community center. It was interesting to listen to how they think through the design process, as they took into account the possibility of flooding by making one of the education centers elevated, and dedicating the open space below for storing recreational equipment. I also learned so much about how architects work alongside civil engineers and environmentalists to make sure that they using the land in a way which are most beneficial to hydraulic systems, and native plant life. For instance, they plan to create many retention ponds, each located on different sections of the land depending on its elevation above the coast. Also, they plan to place native plants around these ponds, with plants which require high levels of salt water near retention ponds closest to the coast, and those which survive in freshwater near ponds with higher elevations. Not only will these plants be beneficial by adding to the biodiversity of the area, but children who visit the center will have the opportunity to explore the grounds with discovery programs lead by botanists. Further, the designers plan for these ponds to be connected to the drainage system located in the adjacent parking lot, so that water which runs off from the pavement will fill these ponds rather than the streets, which benefits the area as a whole.
Overall, this experiences broadened my horizons to a large extent as I learned so much about all of the different environmental and humanitarian factors that are considered when any plans for a building are created. Further, I got the chance to talk with some of the UT architecture students after the tour, as they each had a different story to tell, and they each had different advice to share in terms of higher education. This fulfills the creativity aspect of CAS as listening to the presentations from both Kirksey and the students caused me to come up with some of my own ideas. For instance, it might be a better idea for the parking lot to be raised so that in the case of flooding, cars would not be damaged, and larger portions of the ground could be left unpaved. In terms of fulfilling Further, this fulfills the following learning outcomes: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance, as during the tour we discussed how to make buildings more environmentally sustainable.
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