What are some projects you’ve worked on? My first project was a competition for a park in Moscow, and then I spent a lot of time on Culture Shed, which is a museum-type structure in New York. Now I’m working on a residential tower. It’s a little of everything. Describe the culture of the office. It’s fast-paced and design-intensive, with about 100 people. There are weeks when I’ve worked 60 hours and then on a few really intense deadline weeks it’s been closer to 100 hours. There’s the expectation that you pull your weight, especially as a younger person. How do you like your neighborhood? My apartment is on the edge of Chinatown, close to so many amazing Chinese restaurants and the best and cheapest dumpling places. The next block over has a Dominican barbershop where everyone plays music from their cars and hangs out outside the shop. My window looks over a soccer field, and I wake up every morning to the sound of Tai Chi music playing in the park. I remember my first couple nights the noise outside my window would keep me up at night, but now I have no idea how I’m going to be able to sleep NEW YO RK C IT Y / without it!
FAVORITE LOCAL SPOT DS+R ROOFTOP
KELSEY OLAFSON DILLE R S C O FIDIO + R E N F RO
Any favorite spots in New York? I love going to the MOMA; I have a membership there. The New Museum also is one of my favorite museums in the city since the collection is always changing. There’s just an endless supply of things to do in New York. I’ve barely scratched the surface of everything there is to see. And just the peoplewatching here is great as well. At Rice, some architecture students practically live in the studio, while others are more involved outside the architecture school. Which were you? I was one of the crazy ones! I was always in the studio. I don’t regret a minute of it, though, because I loved it and I felt really well prepared for what I’m doing now. Of course, there’s a lot that you can only learn on the job, but the intensity of the work wasn’t new to me. What have you learned at your preceptorship that you couldn’t learn at Rice? I feel that working in an office is a second degree. There are so many skills involved with realizing a building that we aren’t exposed to in school. I still have so much to learn about construction and material details. It’s exciting to think about how the learning process doesn’t end with school.
ARCHITECTURAL INSPIRATION DIA: BEACON, MODERN ART MUSEUM IN UPSTATE NEW YORK AND FORMER NABISCO BOX-PRINTING FACILITY
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