We’re chatting with Devyn on his internship experience at CMBA Architects learning about his experience as an intern and what sort of projects and tasks he’s had the opportunity to work on while collaborating with our architects. Join us for this inside look at what being an architecture intern is all about!
Stream Now
Episode Transcript
Transcript
Skyler: Welcome to another episode of Laying the Foundation. Welcome back to Laying the Foundations. I'm Skylar, I'm one of the marketing members over at CNBA Architects here in Sioux City, iowa, and today we are going to be discussing with we have Devin, who is one of our interns for the - sort of period. Devin, welcome to the show. Hello, and with us today is David. He's one of our architects here at CNBA. He has been working with Devin quite a bit, and so it is appropriate that we have him on the show to talk a little bit about alongside Devin, about what it is that they've worked on together. David, welcome to the show.
David: Thank you for having me.
Skyler: Absolutely, absolutely so. Kicking things off, devin, how's it been? How have things been here at CNBA within your internship?
Devyn: It's been pretty great. I started this summer as an intern, worked throughout the summer and then I've been working through the school year. That was a lot of fun. Pretty difficult to manage at first but I got the hang of it. And back here this winter really excited to be a part of this internship and just get to know these people. Get to know David, get to know Skylar I know you're new here so yeah it's nice to know you this winter so awesome.
Skyler: Right on, right on. So what kind of stuff have you been working on within CNBA Architects during your internship here? I'm sure a lot of it was with David again, which is what we've been working on A fair amount.
David: Yeah, you can just start with the beginning of the summer, I guess, because that's where it when you kicked off.
Devyn: Yeah, I'd say I wrote down a bunch of projects here, but I'd say a lot of local schools, especially with David. My MOC was the first one I think I got involved in with some shop drawings. From there it's been churches, healthcare buildings, especially in Sioux City but also in some surrounding areas. So yeah, that's kind of been the focus. Nice like broad.
David: Yeah, you've got a nice into all the markets that we really hit. You've got a little bit of experience in all of them. Can you go into some of the other tasks that you did and some of those other things? What did you do for some of the churches versus? I know one of the things that I've had to do is put in existing buildings based on existing plans. For me that's some stuff you've at least been working on this winter. Did you do some of that this summer, or were some of the other tasks you worked on?
Devyn: Yeah, definitely, I'd say. For the most part I've been working doing existing buildings was a big one. Doing some render schematic plans I think for New Life Church was a big schematic plan I was working on for Lee for a while. A lot of renderings for Briar Cliff, for MOC just different proposals, different schematics. That's a lot of the mix of what I've been working on.
David: Right on, even laser scanned this summer with me, didn't you? I did laser scan, very cool, that was fun. Well, it's unfortunate too, now that we laser scanned the building and they've changed the project scope. So now, instead of using the existing model, they're going to demolish it. So we did a good job. I put together the final drawings after the scan and now I think you've done renders and I haven't seen them the most latest and greatest ones yet but it's a brand new construction for that project now potentially.
Skyler: Okay, very cool, but you still can use the scans that you guys did.
David: Yeah, we've still got them. They're not going anywhere. Cool, awesome.
Skyler: Very cool, well, awesome. That really gives a good overview of a lot of the projects that you've been involved in. What about like and you kind of already mentioned this with some of the processes? But, just like you know, for anybody that might be listening that's interested in looking into architecture internships, whether it be here or elsewhere what kind of like stuff should they know going into it or what can they expect?
Devyn: I think the first thing I was told when I got here when I got here by Tanner, who's another intern he told me to not be afraid to ask questions. So that was a big thing that, especially with David just popping over asking a lot of questions not to be overwhelmed, there's a lot of things that are challenging. At first it kind of seemed like I can't do that, but just ask questions when you don't know. I think it's the big thing.
Skyler: Okay, right on, right on.
David: We're always happy to help just teach you guys new things. And then I mean you have a lot of the base skills that you guys learn at school, but two of the things that are. There's a couple of things that tend to change, like the complexity of projects, like we have to think through constructability issues oftentimes or deal with existing conditions. You've seen lots of fun existing projects. Now pieces go together on that. Those are always sometimes an adventure, or even just some of the time span on things where sometimes we're giving you a task that it seems like a simple, straightforward task but it takes you two weeks to work on and it's very in depth and I know it's hey, let's make this building, while there's a lot that goes into that.
Skyler: Right. Right, Kind of playing off of the question. I mean, is there anything they should maybe know going into an internship or things that you'd recommend that like hey, you know it'd be great to prepare for your internship by doing this or, you know, learning this, or whatever the case? Like I mean, I know the internships can vary pretty differently, but I know you guys like mentioned like Revit is pretty like industry standard for the most part, so like that would definitely be like a big one right there.
David: Just base skills in that. But I mean, even like I know you've learned new things in some of the Revit models we've asked you to do, but it just familiarity with some of that software. I don't know how much of the you had learned the rendering software, didn't you? I learned Enscape in school, Okay but I mean we're usually fairly flexible to if we're asking someone to do a rendering either whatever software they're comfortable with, trying to have them produce something with that, just so you get the best quality output at the end for it.
Skyler: Okay, very cool, very cool. So jump back one question that I skipped over. But what would you say is your biggest, like most beneficial takeaway from your time here, with all your internship and such Like? What do you feel like you learned or gained here that you feel like is really going to help you going forward into what all the other interns have referred to as the real world?
Devyn: Right, I definitely say the connections made. Okay, that is the most important thing that we're taught in school even is make connections, keep connections, don't burn bridges. So, and especially the culture here, it makes it so easy to kind of get to know people and everyone's so nice and friendly and willing to help. So Awesome. I'd say yeah, that's the most beneficial takeaway is connections, especially for a first internship experience.
Skyler: Sure, yeah, working they really drilled that into my head as well back in college is always be networking, always be making, you know, taking people's business cards, taking that seriously and all this other stuff.
David: So you never know when you're running to people. Again, it's true.
Skyler: It's true, or even just yet working with them, like you might even go to a different firm and then you find out that you're in a project that's somehow involved with somebody that you worked with in the past. So, yeah, it's a cool. Like community, we're all gaining ideas from each other to some extent, even though we might be in companies that might be competing to some extent. So awesome.
So when you were getting ready for this internship, or even just when you were applying for internships, was there sort of like an innate kind of nervousness or fear going into it that you know? You thought at the top of your mind like, oh man, this is like a big endeavor, it's a big step, kind of freaking out a little bit. Was there anything like that going on in your head?
Devyn: Yeah, I'd say there were a lot of factors that kind of played into that. I'm originally from Lincoln, from a small town, and so moving up here to Sioux City was a little different. Obviously I've had some family that have that have been up here before. But just kind of getting into a new town, new environment, was definitely a challenge at first From a work perspective. I mean, everything kind of seemed challenging right away just because I was probably overthinking it. And just having the confidence to trust yourself, trust your schooling, and take that into the workplace is kind of a hurdle that took me a little bit to get over. But I think, especially now it's more of learning new things and applying it every single day.
David: And those are common problems too, where I guess it'd be nice to experience that now when you're an intern, and then you'll have that same experience too with full-time employment, because hopefully it's coming back to CMBA. But it's the same thing too of making the that step or move into a new town right and then to start off your new position and working on things like that.
Ad: Attention architecture students, are you looking for a hands on internship opportunity that will provide you with real world experience and a competitive? Look no further than C, m, b, a architects are. Internship program offers flexible scheduling, a casual dress code and team building exercises to help you build valuable skills and connections in the industry. Plus, who doesn't love having Fridays off?
Skyler: to learn more about our internship program, visit the careers page at C M B A architects dot com and spend your summer with C M B A.
Skyler: Was it easier to come back with a winter now that you?
David: Yeah, it was a lot easier.
Skyler: Knocks out that that kind of nervousness of the new people and a new environment and things along those lines, like I've. I've experienced it I've just been on break, you know so absolutely.
David
Beyond, just like the moving to Sioux City experience. Was there any other like what? What did you expect, I guess, with your internship, versus what you actually experienced?
Devyn: So I remember having a talk with Kerson at the end of the summer just kind of go over my expectations and honestly I had no idea what to expect. I heard lots of stories about people go into firms and just doing stair details all summer so I was really hoping it wasn't going to be something boring like that or toilet accessory details exactly.
So I think CMBA did a really good job of really getting us involved in every single aspect of the design process, so that that's a definite plus that really helped that transition.
David: Well, you went above and beyond, even this winter, and I have to mention this one. The it's application of what you've learned to. So you had learned this last semester a lot of the energy code calculation for you, values and walls, and that's a whole bunch of mumbo, jumbo, jargon stuff there to most people. But can you explain a little bit what you did there to calculate that, what we asked you to do?
Devyn: So we were given an existing building the boys and girls home and it was at first, I think it was like a shopping center and some other, correct?
David: I don't exactly remember the other various uses, after that commercially.
Devyn: So we were tasked to turn it into more of a residential and school building, and so there was a lot of different areas in the building that didn't meet. I don't know if it didn't meet code or if it was just not up to what we were going to be doing to it.
David: It would have been difficult to retrofit it would have been difficult to retrofit, albeit a great cost retrofit to meet the energy code, which is one of the other building codes you have to follow. There's certain alternates and I don't know how many different variations we spun out to try and meet that code. But Devin helped a lot with the calculation of our current plans. And then to input that into a piece of software that's put out by the Department of Energy that proves the that or that helps you do the math to show this is your, your energy performance of the building and lets us know if you're compliant with that code or not. So it's quite a bit of the math at the front end to the energy code analysis, then data entry and then a couple of times, as we're working through, options of how to tweak that wall assembly to meet the code.
Because the first time we was, the first time we entered it, we did not. We were quite a ways under code and we're. I don't know if we're fully across the line yet, but I know we're a heck of a lot closer than we were. But that was like a fun application, or I want to say a fun application was a useful application. What you learned on what is actually a very, very complex project, so kudos to you on that one. That was a very difficult one. Yeah, definitely.
Devyn: It was really cool to see how I could take that experience directly from this last semester and apply it to a project. So yeah, absolutely Awesome.
Skyler: So for those that are out there right now, like I said before, kind of contemplating and probably having the same fears that you might have had prior to, you know, starting here and kind of getting an idea of like oh, there's like helpful people here and things along those lines, what would you say to those people that are looking into internships and they're like mentally kind of panicking a little bit, I'd say?
Devyn: Kind of trust or get. That's what I did. I mean, I initially heard about CME at the UNL career fair and so I sat down with them. I really enjoyed just how friendly they were and just how they were and just I think Shane was one of the people I sat down with and he really explained how it's. The internship that CBA provides is very different because they get us involved right away with every aspect and that was a big thing that intrigued me, and especially having family from Sioux City, that kind of drew me in as well.
Skyler: Sure, absolutely.
David: Having that familiarity with the area definitely would help, for sure, but Not when on the like where we sold you on to was the experience Shane probably mentioned to you at the career fair. Like we did try and I didn't realize you had done some schematic work as well. But Even from the pre design phase of putting in existing buildings I know I took you on a couple job site visits it does sound like you've at least had a little bit of taste of at least some of the tasks that are involved through every phase of construction. You're back again next summer. We'll definitely get some more, Show you the progress and some of those projects you visited to kind of see some more completed works there and Potentially help out with some big punch list we've got coming up. Absolutely very cool.
Skyler: And then David you I mean obviously you went through architecture school and everything like that. You did an internship at some point, I did not actually oh OK.
David: financial collapse happened and there was a lot of jobs going around, so there weren't very many internship opportunities. So wow, I actually worked through summers to pay off college. Sure sure, and then that was that. That actually made some of my initial job application stuff a lot harder, because I didn't have experience at that point in time, Gotcha to then rely on, and it was a job market at that time to that was just starting to pick up.
So the very first interview I had, which wasn't with CMBA, my cousin was a summer intern in the structural engineering department of that firm, and so that the person they hired was someone with years experience and a architectural license. So. But they had applied for an entry level job and it's very hard if you're fresh out of college to compete with someone for that position.
Devyn: So sure, sure.
David: But even then I still heard some of the same exact horror stories that Devon had said in college of you go to a firm, you're going to work on something.
Well, it might be a very well. That energy code task was very time consuming and not very thankful. But some of the boring detailing jobs or some of the thankless dirty work on some of that stuff like people who'd sat in kind of the, been kind of isolated in the corner and didn't do a whole lot and kind of were frustrated when they got back to school. It's nice to at least see that we're providing a. You might have a couple tasks like that, I guess, through the summer, but at least to provide a nice range of mix in some more fun and more engaging things to, and a lot of the renderings that you and some of the other interns this summer put together have been fantastic and it's nice to see like new ideas and bring that that life in the new energy as well. So even getting you guys back from winter break was like really invigorating on our side as well.
I was going to say, yeah, I mean having, because I mean you noticed it too, because he's like is there a different experience too of just having someone else new brought in?
Skyler: Right, right. And even just like the I mean there was a literal excitement from the other architects and such for like oh, the interns are coming back, awesome. Like I desperately need them here. Like I want to work with them and give them some things to do, but not not like go get coffee and not like the boring, but not in this stuff necessarily, but like we need help, you know, and we would love to have them here to like work with us on these big projects which you've mentioned, like a lot of these big projects. That mentioned a lot of projects.
David: So that's nice. You got a lot of projects across there, so a lot of diversity in the project, which is fantastic, oh wow. Oh, you're scrolling through a whole huge list. He's got a big list.
Skyler: That's awesome. No, that's fantastic. Well, the reason I was bringing it up over onto your end is if there was anything you wanted to say to anyone out there that might be looking into internship opportunities or maybe even just graduating and looking to jump into the workforce. I know your experience obviously was different based on the time that sounds. I'm not trying to like ensue that you're older or anything, but I'm getting there. I'll be years in February, so well, that's good.
David: Oh, it's almost a month, yeah, not two weeks away, I think.
Skyler: So oh boy Fantastic.
David: I'd say I think Devin hit the nail really on the head with go into it with an open mind, go in expecting to learn something or at least trying trying to learn something. So when you learned quite a lot in this last summer and then you weren't really afraid of the, of asking questions, that's a big one too. We're a lot of these tasks like. It differs. Just it differs enough from what you're learning school, where you got at least that base layer in school, or what was the. You didn't mention the In the frontline to child name of the podcast starts building a foundation.
So that's what your schooling is meant to be.
David: It's laying the foundation of, hopefully, the rest of your professional practice that will follow. I mean, you did a nice job, at least asking questions. That's one thing that I struggled with too. Right at what I started was don't be afraid to ask questions, even if it's stupid questions. There are no stupid questions when you're starting off or even if you're going back and it's you're having problems of like why is this? Why is this not working out Like go ahead and ask the question to as many people as you can, make sure you get back on track and you don't spin your wheels and get frustrated because it then fights against that positive outlook that we talked about, and we always want to try and do things as positive, as positively as we can.
Skyler: Absolutely, absolutely Well, fantastic. That's all I have on my list. I don't like to ask for like closing statements. Do you want to have anything left to say? But I mean, feel free if you do.
David: Can we do these? Just be for you, then. Devon's right, because you're the focus of this podcast. But what was your favorite thing you worked on over the summer?
Devyn: Oh yes, oh boy, that is very difficult. I think the green space for the United Way building was. That was a lot of fun. All us four interns got together and kind of developed our own ideas for a green space. Just, I think, is the east of the building.
David: Yep.
Devyn: East of our building that we're in right now, and we all developed our own ideas and it was. That was a lot of fun. We also had a meeting eventually with some of the stakeholders involved, and people at the United Building just went over ideas, so that that was a lot of fun, definitely. I don't think it lasted very long. I don't remember what exactly happened about that project, but there's multiple because of the multiple stakeholders involved in it.
David: One of those is the city. City projects oftentimes take right. They take time to plan and then to budget it, and then their, their budgeting process might be years in advance.
Skyler: So it gets kind of put near the end, and this is where I go back to like the timeline is different.
David: Like in school, you guys went through what a charrette process, which is like a miniaturized version of your school studio semester, where you develop an idea, or you have your idea, you develop it and the concept you refine it, because I know you guys presented to us, you then refined your ideas before you presented to the ownership group or the stakeholder group. So it's kind of at that like that waiting phase now where they're trying to take the next steps and find out what eventual funding they have for it and what funding resources they come into it.
Skyler: So that frustrating, yeah, waiting period which we all know and welcome to bureaucracy, devon experienced a lot of that in your career, but so that was through the.
David: that was through the summer. What about your favorite thing that you did? Just, I know it was a short winter break for you versus the summer, but what was your thing you enjoyed the most through the winter?
Devyn: break. I liked working on Wakefield this winter break. Can you describe what that was?
David: Yeah, just Tyler.
Devyn: So Wakefield is a school in Wakefield. So we're doing some kind of initial schematic designs right now. I know Lee and Morgan are kind of heading it right now and they're meeting with the superintendent and school board and stuff like that. So I've been kind of tasked with developing some schematic plans, just kind of developing some ideas about how their current school is laid out and how their needs and trying to develop new spaces for them, and it's been a lot of fun. I've never done a school like that before. I wish I would have this. Last semester we had the opportunity in one of our studios. But yeah, it's a lot of fun. I really like K through education.
Skyler: Awesome, yeah, yeah. So get my feet wet in. That was a lot of fun. Awesome, yeah, no, and you've got. Now you've got kind of a direction that you found that you're like okay. I really like the sector.
David: Because you went to when we did our tour day of site visits. How many schools did you go to?
Devyn: Three yeah at least three.
David: Yeah, so you can see we do quite a bit of that work daily basis here, so very cool. And then one last one I forgot, because you also worked through us during the semester. Yep Was your favorite thing you worked on during the semester.
Skyler: All three times.
Devyn: Probably just the continued renderings for Briar Cliff. I really like the way that the building is developing and the renders. I think Brent had some really cool ideas that came up with. I know David was working on it late one night. We were messaging back and forth trying to get some stuff finished. But yeah, that was. That was definitely the probably the most fun thing to work on over the school year.
Skyler: Fantastic, awesome. Well, it's been great having you, devin. I know, like I said before, all the architects were super excited to have all of the interns here, so it's fantastic that we were able to get you and we were able to get you here. To work on some of these projects gives you some experience and so, as they said, the real world experience per se. So and it'll be great to have you to reach out to and such going forward. So, thanks to both of you for being on the show today.
Tags:
July 27, 2023