Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, I have not had the chance to work with people in person. I finished my last year of undergraduate studies mostly in isolation, accompanied by Zoom and my family in Taipei. When Scott told me that the internship would be in person during our call in March, I was extremely grateful and excited.
While online communications are undeniably convenient, in-person interactions are irreplaceable, especially in a small office. The first day I started, most people came to work in person, and I was in my first team meeting within an hour of my arrival. Every Monday at 10 AM, the entire office meets to go through the status of every project. One by one, I listened to everyone describe specific challenges they were resolving, drawings they were working on, and next steps. I was amazed by the organization.
My first assignment was to draw a ZD1 zoning diagram for a three-story townhouse in Brooklyn. One thing I wanted to gain this summer was familiarity with technical drawings. Terms such as FISP, LPC, and DOB are thrown around the office constantly, forcing me to quickly learn about the types of drawings required for each filing. To help me start on the ZD1 drawing, Jane gave me examples to refer to. Every time I produced a draft, Marc would redline the drawing to help me fix the errors. Although this process could have happened virtually, it was nice to be able to walk up to Marc and Jane for an immediate answer anytime.
I also had my first field visit during the first week, visiting a community health center in Lower Manhattan with Jane for window measurements. According to the building manager, these windows are from 1974 when the building was constructed. We trekked through the entire building in an hour and a half, visiting every window and measuring its dimensions.
In short, it has been a fulfilling and busy start, and I look forward to the rest of my time here!
-GC
