PRP Now! Ben Parker // SHoP Architects
PRP Now! aims to showcase the great experiences students encounter within the Professional Residency Program. PRP offers upper-level architecture students a unique opportunity to expand their education through work experience in the architectural profession. Over the past twenty years, our students have been linked with 260 firms in 29 countries.
We will feature a handful of students within each session, graduate and undergrad, domestic and international firms. PRP staff mostly recently had the pleasure to speak with Ben Parker (B.Arch '15) about his experience:
PRP: I understand that you are currently doing your PRP internship. Where are you working?
I have been at SHoP Architects in NYC since May of this year. It's been great!
PRP: Currently, what is on your desk? What are you working on?
I sit at a large desk in the print room (a very busy space, as you might imagine). On my desk is a laptop with mouse and headphones, a notepad, a coffee cup, a mountain of pens, a pile of redlined drawings, and some building code references. I'm currently working in Revit on the life-safety plans for a Manhattan residential high-rise.
PRP: What song best describes your work-style?
I work in two styles. When working by hand, redlining a drawing or double-checking numbers, it is like Mozart's "Nur Stille Stille Stille": nimble and precise, with a back-and-forth rhythm between one document and another. When making changes to a model in Revit, it is more like Big Pun's "It's So Hard": a repetitive rhythm moving continuously forward, not demanding on the mind but elating if approached with the right temperament.
PRP: What is the office atmosphere?
Big, and young. There are a lot of heads around here and not many are grey. The sheer size makes it challenging to get to know everyone, but it also means that there is a lot of energy in the office.
PRP: That sounds good. Are there any unusual traditions? Funny stories?
I don't know about funny or unusual, but the size of the firm means that there are lots of things to do: a softball team, a basketball team, a cycling club, a yoga group, a Tough Mudder group, all made up of people in the office, and SHoP does a great job encouraging these extra-work activities.
PRP: What is the first thing you'll tell your classmates upon your return to UT?
About my residency experience? Do it! The opportunity to mix work and school is precious--I'm really looking forward to applying what I've absorbed here to my final studio. And, don't take it for granted--not every school has such a supportive and well-tailored program.
PRP: So, as your finishing up the week, what are your plans for this weekend?
Free museums! New York is good for this--MoMA and many others have a pay-what-you wish on Friday night, and the Frick has one on Sunday. My favorite place in New York, the Nicholas Roerich Museum, is always free.