Mary C. Comerio
Class information to be posted on the web
ARCH 128: ARCHITECTURAL INTERNSHIP
This course provides an opportunity for students to evaluate professional practice in a seminar combined architectural office experience. Students will spend two full days per week in a local design office where they will be exposed to four areas of professional practice: 1) design and planning, 2) construction documents, 3) construction monitoring, and 4) office administration. Each week, students will also attend a two hour seminar each week to discuss issues in contemporary professional practice in the context of their individual experience.
Entry Requirement: Senior standing or Graduate Student
Prerequisite: Arch 100A and 100B
Seminar Tuesday 9:30-11 am
Internships require TWO FULL DAYS available to work in an office (M, W, Th, or F); half days are not allowed by the participating firms.
NOTE: Students should enroll on the waitlist with TELEBEARS. Admission to the class is not finalized until the placements with firms are complete. Interested students should submit a completed questionnaire and a one page resume to Prof. Mary Comerio by email by December 10. They will be contacted by Prof. Comerio for an interview. Send email forms and CV to
Note: Interviews will be in the weeks of Dec. 8 and 15th. Sign up sheets will be posted outside the Architecture Department Office, (232 Wurster). Applications for the course will be accepted until the interview times.
ANSWERS TO TYPICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT ARCH 128:
Arch 120 is not a pre-requisite and will not affect admission, despite what it says in the General Catalog.
Students are asked to evaluate their own skill level and show their work in an interview. There is a questionnaire available on the department web site, or from Prof. Comerio. If you are interested in taking the class, you will need to schedule an interview with her.
In this class, we review the student's skill level and make a match with a firm that is on a roster of ones who regularly take CAL students from this class. This is not an AIA sponsored internship. This is not like a job in the sense that you are not paid, and not treated exactly like an entry-level employee. Students in this class have a mentor at the firm, and they do work on a variety of projects, but they also get to go to job sites and meetings that most junior staff never have the opportunity to do. This is a professional practice class with on-site experience.
The time frame is fixed. The seminar meets on Tues 9:30-11AM, So, you need NO CLASSES on TWO of the other 4 weekdays. NO DEALS are allowed. We place students with firms that have a have a long-term relationship with the class and they have made it clear that they only want students who can commit to two full days each week. This is a five unit class, so the time commitment is like a studio. Students are not allowed to take this course and studio unless they have permission from Mike Martin.
Note that you can choose any two days that fit into your schedule. The firms will let you pick the days, but they do not want any half days. It is a regular work day typically 8:30 to 5:30, but remember, you have to get there and back so do not imagine that you can do an 8am class or a 5pm class. Like a workday, you have to build in the commute time. The questionnaire and resume are due the end of November. Interviews will be set up by appointment with Prof. Comerio.
Note: There are no late placements—ie. students cannot expect to get into the class if they do not make the effort this semester.
Interview form to be submitted by email to M. Comerio is on the next page:
ARCHITECTURE 128 INITIAL INTERVIEW FORM
The purpose of this questionnaire is to help the instructor place a student in an appropriate office setting, with a match between the student’s interests and skills and the day-to-day operations of the architectural office. Please be honest about your skill levels. No one expects you to be “expert” at everything. An office want to know what you can and cannot do; what tasks you are comfortable with, as well as what tasks you need help to learn.
Send this form and a one page resume (with your home address, phone, and email contact information) by email to by Dec 11, 2006 and sign up for an interview.
NAME ______
Expected Date of Graduation ______
Semester you took 100A ______Semester you took 100B ______
Have you worked in an architecture office (in summer or longer)yes ______no ______
Rank your office drafting/drawing model building skills on a scale of 1 to 10.
Perspective sketching______
Ink presentation drawings______
Pencil drafting______
Construction documents______
Study models______
Balsa wood or other presentation quality models______
Do you have computer drafting experienceyes ______no ______
Rank you computer skills on a scale of 1 to 10:
General Office (word processing, excel, power point)______
2 dimensional AutoCAD______
3 dimensional AutoCAD______
Form Z or other ______
Animation______
Web page creations______
Photo Shop______
Continued …..
ARCH 128 INTERNSHIP INTERVIEW FORM page 2
Describe in a few words your career direction/goals
Do you plan to go to graduate school in Architecture?
Do you plan to work before applying to Graduate school? If yes, how long, and where (bay area, home town, or other?)
Do you have a preferred project type or types (residential, commercial, office, institutional, design build, large, small)
Do you have a work environment preference (large office - over 40, medium - 15-35, small - <10)
(NOTE—you can learn equally well in a large or small office, but the experience (and the type of projects) are different)
Do you have a location preference (San Francisco, E. Bay) for your internship?
What is your access to transit? (Where do you live? Can you get to BART or a bus—this will affect your location preference)
What are your interests or outside school activities?
Do you have questions or concerns?