PERSPECTIVES

Architecture internships are unique to any other. More than just a day filled with filing and monotonous jobs, Architecture internships allow students to get familiar with a firm and their specialization. Here at RODE, interns are truly members of the team and we partake in all aspects of the business, from design insight on projects, to celebrating its 10 Year Anniversary at the Dorchester Brewing Company.

A day at RODE is never dull, we’re an enthusiastic group of 18 employees working in a small, tight-knit setting in an open studio atmosphere with clients coming in and out all day. It’s great to be able to translate the open studio language that we are so familiar with, into the office setting. Working as an intern is a distinct experience aimed at broadening a particular skill set. There are specific goals set at the beginning of the internship and we are encouraged to work on specific elements of projects that peak our interests. Interns work on numerous types of projects in one single day – from residential unit layouts in the morning – to presentation renderings by night. Other specific jobs include feasibility studies, model building, hand drawing, massing building options, and more. It takes more than an average college student to be a part of RODE’s team, you have to have a positive attitude and step outside of your comfort zone, being ready and willing to work on anything asked, and eager to learn new skills to develop the knowledge required by the field.

Aside from growing your knowledge on a daily basis, being a member of RODE’s team comes with other perks. While working at RODE, interns partake in the social side of the firm, including Friday afternoon snack/drink hour to design charrettes in order to familiarize the team with new projects. The design charrettes show the collaborative nature of RODE’s work environment, and seeing a project grow from a simple massing study to a highly developed piece of architecture through ideas and concepts is directly relevant to us as students.  The iterative process is a very real part of design, and to see it implemented in real world projects makes the job very rewarding. Other fun activities include t-shirt competitions, lunch outings, weekly “lunch and learn” presentations, and bagel Wednesdays. Joining the team also means social gatherings outside the normal 9-5. Interns at RODE are proud to be a part of this collaborative group of individuals who love where they work and what they do.

Personal Statement from Current Interns:

Paul Arduini - Wentworth Institute of Technology - Class of 2017

“Personally, one of my favorite exercises that I’ve been able to do on a daily basis at RODE is to visualize a project through digital ‘art.’ I enjoy bringing a project to life. In most cases, the public reacts best to conceptual renderings. I believe a story should be told through these images while creating an atmosphere that one would not take away from a line drawing.”

Danielle Roberts - Northeastern University - Class of 2017

“RODE has truly made me feel like part of the team. I have gotten to work on so many different projects, and seen them through almost every phase. It’s especially interesting to learn about the design process and how community reception and neighborhood characteristics influence design. It’s great to be able to work for a firm that cares about where they’re building, not just what they’re building.”

Amanda Dexter - Wentworth Institute of Technology - Class of 2017

“Intern life at RODE is an experience to remember. I thank RODE for teaching me the valuable skills necessary in order to be successful in the field of architecture. I wouldn’t have received this kind of knowledge and experience anywhere else.”

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The exterior vision for 232 Old Colony is taking form as exterior facade treatments near completion.

The broad face along Old Colony Avenue folds mid-block to present a building mass in-scale with the surrounding context. This facade is clad with dark gray and wood-tone composite panels that evoke traditional neighborhood textures while utilizing the finest contemporary construction materials and methods.

Brick facades incorporate a ubiquitous Boston building material made simply and excitingly modern through rich detailing. Varied-depth stack bond ties window bands together, and a dynamic mural of offset units dances along the busy public sidewalk.

For more details, and sales information, please see 232oc.com.

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RODE was in Haverhill last month to meet with the building department for our second project in the downtown area. We are very excited to collaborate with Traggorth Companies  on the historic 87 Washington Street building.   The adaptive reuse of the long vacant space will bring commercial amenities and apartments to the dynamic, urban downtown.

During our visit, we had a chance to stop by Quinn’s Canine Café, the newest commercial tenant at JM Lofts, our first project in Haverhill. The space looks great, and we hear that the city and surrounding town residents are thrilled to have a specialty pet bakery. These three commercial tenants at JM Lofts, Quinn’s Canine Café, Battle Grounds Coffee, and Casa Creatives Photography, demonstrate the energy and potential for the revitalization in Downtown Haverhill.

In addition to new commercial spaces drawing people to the city, the first Shoe City Pro Circuit cycling race took place in July and passed in front of JM Lofts, and there are some fantastic photos from Casa Creatives Photography.

Keep an eye on RODE for more updates on 87 Washington!

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This past winter, the West Broadway Hotel team had the opportunity to build the firm's first model room.  Ahead of the full interior build out of the Cambria hotel, located at the gateway into South Boston, our team was able to construct a full scale mock-up of the typical hotel room.  Model rooms are an important part of the process for a hotel build - ensuring client, brand, and operations approval before building and furnishing a hotel room multiple times, in this case 159 times.  

The experience of building a model room for this size of project was incredibly helpful and informative for the building of the remainder of the project.  It was a great test run for all project participants and trades to complete final system coordination and practice how they would complete the construction for the entire roll out.  The project team had the ability to predict problems or complications that may happen in the field and make adjustments accordingly.  With such a tight footprint, every inch counted within the guest rooms for both the guest experience and the success of the operations team.

While framing and plumbing was going in surrounding the model room location, as soon as you passed through the door into the unit, it felt as though you just checked in for the weekend, right down to the room service menus, coffee and tea selections, and linens.  

Once the model room was completed, the owner, hotel brand, and future operations team were invited to visit the room and provide feedback to the design team.  In an effort to make the full roll out as successful as possible, RODE made updates to the drawings and room pieces.  Overall, the exercise of building the model room was a great success as it gave the entire team an opportunity to make any adjustments before building the final rooms, reducing the amount of changes made in field and improving the future guest's experience.  

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Last week, RODE principal Kevin Deabler had the opportunity to speak with students at Cathedral High School for the biennial WilmerHale Career Day. Kevin has volunteered at the Career Day the last 8 years as a way to help prepare students for success in their future. Throughout the day, Kevin met with Cathedral students and discussed why he chose to become an architect and the greater good that can be achieved through design. His discussion directly relates to RODE's philosophy of  “building where we live” and how as designers, we have an opportunity to make a positive impact on our communities, and greater Boston, through thoughtful architecture and design.