Without mentioning the obvious, this was bound to be a unique summer. By the end of Spring my expectations were low that my internship with Landworks Studio would even begin, let alone be such a positive and rewarding experience. I imagined my first internship to be tedious, technical and detached from the overall design process, yet Michael Blier and his team immediately put me in design roles for incredible projects. I was able to put the technical skills from my MLA program to use while learning how a firm operates. The team was respectful of my limitations and always listened to my ideas.
Despite its relatively small size, the scope of Landworks’ projects are remarkable. Michael and his team are not new to working remotely. Given their international team and clients, the group was cohesive and efficient, and it was amazing to watch the collaborative design process take place on Zoom calls across time-zones. From my basement home-office on Nantucket Island I worked for a firm in Salem, MA on an international team for a project in Naples, Italy. This was definitely not your average internship!
In order to get through our current crisis, we must maintain our international relationships, strengthen communications across vast geographical and cultural divides, and work efficiently and passionately for our local communities. Landworks Studio embodies these ideas, and through this internship I was able to be a part of a team that is successfully navigating a difficult moment for the world. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities afforded to me this summer by Landworks and hope to cross-paths with the team in the future.