Elaine Tsui

The entire process of applying the first architectural job could sound daunting and need a lot of determination. This post is written for architectural students who are applying for RIBA Part I placement and for people who want to know the architectural industry more. I thought it would be very useful to share my working experience in details including projects I involved, what the office environment like and my challenges. Hope it helps some of you what to expect and plan ahead. 

Through my summer experiences and undergraduates, I worked at a few architectural disciplines related every summer as an intern which has prepared me to recognize and responds to a host of factor that is necessary to face the growing demands of the profession. I understand architecture is a wide field. So I have reviewed my strength and my interest down to a list that I feel the firms would work best for me and I could contribute my skills. I then applied online, went for a few interviews and I got accepted at OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture). I have really enjoyed working there. Let’s have a look together with the projects I involved.

Competition: Hong Kong- Boundary Crossing Facilities ( link)

This was the first bid competition I worked on and the competition organized by Hong Kong Highways Department to draw new ideas of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge links up Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macao in the Pearl River Delta, China and to engage the general public in this important new development. The works of HZMB related projects within Hong Kong include the Hong Kong Link Road and the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities. The southern landfall of Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link will about the HKBCF. The HKBCF, accommodating the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine facilities of the HKSAR, will be located on a reclamation site of about 130 hectares at the waters off the northeast of the Hong Kong International Airport. The HKBCF will serve as a strategic multi-modal transportation hub for international and domestic traffic due to its proximity and connection to the Hong Kong International Airport and strategic highway networks in the area.

Our team had intense discussions, sketching and making massing models, we came up an idea using a grid of 18×18 units, an open-plan mat building made up of, platforms, canopies, and roofs that shelter and enclose the program.

My role was to draw one of the building floor plans in a diagrammatic way and draw up the potential programmes for master led by the Project Architect. Also, worked on the collages and massing models. I had a huge difficulties building the 3D massing in Rhino. There were loads of information I had to include and later I got pointed out some tips. Also, I was relatively slow comparing to other team members, for example, I spent 4 hours on one collage which is a double amount of time of the others. Then I found out there was a material library and learned I should plan out the work and use the office resources more to make things more efficient.

Hong Kong-Boundary Crossing Facilities © OMA 

Hong Kong-Boundary Crossing Facilities © OMA 

The competition is heavily researching on the Pearl River Delta and analyzing the political and economic circumstance that I found extremely fascinated about how research could turn into an argument then to a proposal. How architects proposed a phased transformation and intensification of a program. This project actually influenced me a lot on my diploma, which led me going to the School of Architectural Association, Diploma 4.

Also my interest in the pearl river delta grows from this project, I went to do more research on this territory which my work exhibiting the work in Hong Kong Shenzhen Biennale in Hong Kong in 2013 “ The Divan” and “Hong Kong Shenzhen Biennale in 2015 “Urban Scene: Through the eyes of knowledge infrastructure” in Shenzhen where we had very good reception.

The Divan 2013

Mckinsey & Company Office, Hong Kong (link)

After the competition, the HKBCF team disassembled, and I put into a new team working on the new McKinsey & Company Hong Kong office from RIBA stage 0- stage 3. The brief was asking a more intimate space that offers a greater sense of collaboration and community. McKinsey confronted OMA with a design question: How to rethink their workspace in a way that is innovative and enhances the McKinsey experience?

This design deviates from the traditional corporate office by emphasizing openness yet allowing for confidentiality where needed. Rooms for partners, research teams, staff and clients are no longer isolated cubicles solely occupied by one person, but rather a space that different staff members can share depending on their needs through playing with different architectural planes and elements.

Having the opportunity to work on an interior project starting from the very beginning, I got the chance to site visit, verify the record plan, producing preliminary and schematic drawing packages. At that moment I realized, working on an existing building needs careful checking such as checking the structure with the surveyors. I also had the chance to attend client meetings with the project architect, which I have learned asking the right question is important and how to respond professionally. For example in the first meeting was set to understand the client’s needs. The client’s team started to throw different request such requesting adding with slides and swings, mini-golf course, massage rooms, aquarium surrounded by the office etc. The project architect started explaining there were restrictions on room height and other technical issues steps by steps professionally since it was a refurbishment project. And I have learned never promise or give hopes to client something we cannot achieve. I have also been observing and witnessed the project to finish within a year and helped from time to time. When the project was in the ratification period, I had the chance to go along with the project architects in charge point the defects and how actually the team could be drawn better.

McKinsey & Company Hong Kong office © OMA 

McKinsey & Company Hong Kong office © OMA 

Taipei Performing Arts Center, Taiwan (link)

This is the project I enjoyed the most which I worked joined on the detail design stage which is equivalent to RIBA stage C-E.

My first task was studied the schematic drawing set. During my first few months, I was mostly assisting the project architect on the ground floor on solving the technical issues, and that also involved a lot of design involvement. One of my very first my early design exercises re-looked at the lobby chamber design. Later I moved on continuing assisting the team to solve other design details in other areas such as entrances, public loop, floor lighting, outdoor plaza landscapes, metal grating balustrade fixing details, elevator cabins and many more. I was to make sure the design comply with legal requirements and standards. It is a very good opportunity for me to move around the project in different areas. I was also in charge of updating the ground floor and second-floor models, Multi-Theatre and Grand Theatre entrance for design options through building physical models and collages for client presentation. In a later stage, in order for better communication with the local manufacturers and local architect, we often created 1:1 sectional models; for example, I built the 1:1 lobby chamber screen using plexiglass tubes.

There was more administrative experience towards the last 4 months towards the tender stage, assisting on the A+U publication and local exhibition. This also applied when I was working on the material schedules. I was sourcing all the materials for almost the entire building. There was communication between my team, local architects, and manufactures.   It was quite challenging because most of the materials that were selected at the beginning are not up to a Taiwan public building and to theatre standard. i.e fire resistance rating & acoustic were most challenging at that stage. Therefore at this stage, we started to work with different manufacturers on cost estimation, technical specification, understanding the production limitation etc and all these suggested how to move forward in the detail design of the project.

During this time of period, I have developed a better time management, stronger communication, and negotiation skills. I used to have difficulties to summarizing the project in short amount of time, but after attending several meetings along with the architects in the team and my own practices, I learn to present things much more quickly when talking to people who have never seen/heard this project.

I produced loads physical models including updating ground floor and second-floor models, Multi-Theatre and Grand Theatre entrance for design options, and even created the 1:1 lobby chamber screen using plexiglass tubes etc, I feel I have grasped this tool. I realized all models are more than a representation; I enjoyed working with blue foam during that particular period because I can visualize the thing in a few seconds. Sometimes I translated them from 2D to 3D and 3D back to 2D.

At the office, I have been observing other projects too, there is a continuous transmission of information among the different visuals, zooming into details and zooming out to the bigger representation with more contextual elements, converting the imperceptible traces of the image into the foam features of the model; contexts into the content. I am very into different architectural representations as I have seen more previous OMA projects while working on A+U publication as mentioned above. I have later on been trying different scales on models and drawings to stimulate new reading of the existing models in a collective venture of inspection and interaction. Architectural representations are something I want to spend time exploring.

Taipei Performing Arts Centre © OMA 

Taipei Performing Arts Centre © OMA 

Teammates are the key

It was such a great experience working with amazing people. The whole office is very encouraging and fun too. We often go to exhibitions, lectures and building visits regularly as a team. And I wanted to highlight my team leader is very organizing, critical and kind. I feel I am doing quite well coping with the deadlines through my team guidance and have been enjoying very much with all the tasks that I was given throughout.

The year out experience and critical thinking definitely helped me to prepare for my diploma at the AA. I would highly recommend year out placement students to work in a small to medium size firms because trust me you will learn much faster. I would write another post to compare a medium size firm design organization (OMA) Vs big size firm design organization (Foster + Partners) in another blog post.

I have just created some frequent questions I received in my mailbox:

When to apply for the year-out placement?

I feel the best time to apply is once you have done your final presentation at school; then you could start preparing for the job application and interviews.

What to be included in the application?

CVs, Cover Letter, Portfolios (contains a glimpse of work, including drawings, physical models, 3d models, sketches, details and it’s also important to demonstrate your design process), Reference letters, Postcard invitation to the end of year show

Where to apply?

Apply to the type of practice that has a culture, which stimulates and interests you. Apply to your favorite architect firms! Apply to the firm you absolutely want to work with!! There are different creativity routes, i.e. working for NGOs, interior firm, or architectural firm. Also,  if you are running out of ideas, AJ often has a useful reference if you want to stick with UK firms (link)

Serendipity may take you somewhere exciting if you allow it. Let me know if you find this blog post useful and feel free to ask more questions on the comment session below.