Week 1
Margaret JMonday: Walked to the Pinnacle building which is located conviently a block away from my apartment. The office is extremely beautiful. Pictures Below.
I recieved a welcome from the HR person and the intern committee, along with 2 other architecture interms. They explained the program, which includes a 24-hour intern charette. An OIT introduction followed. I was shown how to work my computer and the servers and how to set up my phone. I was introduced to my project team, and they took me out to lunch.
Tuesday: I prepared a furniture selection presentation and sent it out to a client for approval. Learned the inner workings of our print shop, mail room, and materials library.
Wednesday: Sat in on conference call with our client(Can't say name, project is conf.), which discussed programming for the 48,000 sp. ft. bldg. The client doesn't have a sustainability program, and we made a few suggestions moving them in the right direction. Created a bubble diagram and adjacency plan for said client. Ordered fabric samples for another project. Lunch materials presentations.
Thursday: Began a fit plan for above client. Finalized finishes for another project. Filed some things in the library. First thursday is an event across the firm every first thursday. It is about an hour long at the end of the work day. They have beer and food, and we talk about things going on across the company.
Friday: Breakfast presentation from Herman Miller and another rep. Kick off to our arts and education campaign. We all got to wear band t's and play guitar hero at lunch! Finalized my fit plan for above client. Then we went out for happy hour at a new micro-brewery called Urban Chesnut!
People of the Week:
The 2 guys located directly behind me are the interns for the summer. The one in the very back with is named Bernard. He studied architecture at a school in Missouri. Bernard is from Albany, and he has been very closely involved with a lab that we are doing in Italy. He speaks Italian, a little Greek, and of course Albanian. He is 26 and married! Also, crazy thing about Bernard... he won the lottery!
The structure of HOK is very complex. Essentially, HOK is a partnership between reknowned designers George Hellmuth, Gyo Obata, and George Kassabaum. HOK is a multidisciplinary firm specializing in Architechure, Interiors, Lighting, Engineering, Consulting, Sustainability Consulting, Planning, Urban Design, and Visual Communication(or Graphics). The firm has over 30 locations worldwide. On the Interior side of things, Michael Nolan is the Director of Interiors. Bob Blaha is the Director of Design. Under these individuals in descending order, Project Managers, Interior Architects, Senior Designers, Designers, Jr. Designers, and then of course Design Interns(me:)) 
Reader Comments (2)
What a huge intro week! I want to know more about the intern charrette you mentioned. I find it hard to believe a firm like HOK does not have an org chart. Ask someone in HR. Also, please introduce a new person you met during your first week -- need to include this with each week's post. The firm is large and comprehensive in what they offer -- what a rich experience! Glad to know they work hard and play hard. Please post pictures to give assist in our understanding of your experience!
Thanks for posting the image of you and the "gang." What a great looking group of folks! The gender balance has certainly been reversed. Must be a nice change for awhile. The structure of HOK is certainly complex, and being able to see the overall structure and their presence around the world is quite impressive. The two HOK offices I've had an opportunity to visit with students is Chicago and Dallas. Both times, we received wonderful hospitality. Along with a grand tour, they presented details of how they worked, examples of projects and technology they use. Could you please explain a "fit" plan? Sounds like jargon for a furniture plan, or block plan? Thanks again for the update!