The Internship Journal: Day Two
Ask dumb questions?
Maybe?
Ask dumb questions? Maybe?
On Tuesday, I arrived half an hour early, just to beat the queue waiting in front of the elevators, I was not going to go up the stairs again. I had requested to sit in on client meetings and the first meeting of the day started at 9:00AM sharp and that is where I understood the difference between client and designer. I was now sitting on the other side, what you expect to happen in a meeting is 80% what will NOT happen. I remember the day before, Nele, the architect, told me that we’ll show the client a new route for the MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) which shouldn’t be a problem. But the whole meeting became about the MEP route and how to move it in a way that will not use additional energy and by also making use of the route already dug on site. The main reason the meeting was made, we only discussed for about 10 minutes. It was quite funny actually - lesson learned, never expect anything. During the last couple of minutes in the meeting we discussed the overall feel of the space, and I felt like I understood what the client was asking for and made eye contact with the team, saying I was on it. Immediately after the meeting ended, Blaz, another supervising architect, came up to me proposing I create a mood board followed by a list of specifications for the project, I asked questions on ways the office likes to label things and went on my merry way. I thought that it would be a piece of cake, so I chose the lobby of the house I was assigned and went on Dezeen to see possible wood and marble combinations as that is what the client requested. For a couple of hours I was questioning whether my research was of use, and when Blaz came over to check on me, I voiced my frustrations and he completely understood. He assured me this was normal and taught me some tricks: if you like a piece of furniture or material online, use google lens to search if the product is available in the UAE, as that was vital. Going forward in that way felt more realistic as I was able to then create a list of specifications for each furniture piece, flooring, and materials used in the mood board to convey the essence of what I’m going for, but by also being practical and having the list at hand. The two main points I wrote down for day two: ask dumb questions, and mistakes sometimes create opportunities?
