1. Week 4

    The biggest challenge that I faced during the fourth week was to design an object that could adequately respond to the mass of pillars and concrete that make up the overhead freeway structure that dominates this site. The design forms of Bayou Columns Overlook are a direct response to the forest of pillars. The primary element is a group of six columns, soaring one hundred fifty foot tall and arranged into a circle.

  2. Week 3

    For her week three project, Anna proposed an iconic structure, the Rain Bridge, for the site located along the green corridor where Scott Street intersects Brays Bayou. Through special elements such as its vertical form, vivid color, and interactive rain-making, the bridge is highly visible and encourages visitors to seek it out. Specifically, the 80 foot high structure becomes the only place where people can observe the entire Third Ward, as well as Downtown Houston.

  3. Week 2

    In the second week, Anna and Elise established connections between major green spaces and nodes of high activity. In their initial design considerations, Brays Bayou was developed into a park with three primary centers of activity, each with a unique character and features.

  4. Week 4

    Sharespace: How do you make an open space in hot Houston be comfortably walkable at any time of the day? Sharespace is a scheme which proposes a community open-air gallery that is shaded with a multipurpose, dual level wood trellis. The first level trellis has the shape of a hill and will become a shade canopy during the day, and a sitting structure during the night. The space will be livened up by artworks and movie screens that are hung from a higher (second-level) trellis.

  5. Week 3

    Edward’s street is located in an industrial area undergoing redevelopment into residential townhouses. Observing the current relatively low-land values and large lot sizes, the project departs on the assumptions that there is going to be higher density residential in the area. This project proposes that the current four lane industrial street beyond arrowed into two lane streets, and that the extra lanes be used for a pedestrian oriented green space.

  6. Week 2

    During week two, Amy focused on the vacant and abandoned properties throughout The Greater Third Ward. She examined ideas that would: Help the community “build from within”; Establish a stronger and healthier community; Expand the economic base of the neighborhood through production, processing, packaging, and marketing of consumable products; Increase entrepreneurial activities and the creation of job opportunities

  7. Week 1

    The first week of the Summer Intern Program focused on inventory, analysis, and visioning for The Greater Third Ward area. The interns familiarized themselves with the character of each of the three Super Neighborhoods that exist within the 7,000-acre area, as well as the adjacent Museum District and Medical Center. In a short period of time, the students gained an understanding of the distinctive ethnic, religious, cultural, and professional elements that shape the community of The Third Ward, including both the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Submission Deadline: March 1, 2012

Date of Notification: March 8, 2012

San Francisco Studio: June 15-July 13

Office Internships: July 16-August 10

Mail Hard Copy Submissions to:

SWA 2012 Summer Program

2200 Bridgeway Boulevard

Sausalito, California 94966-5904

Deliverables, 8.5x11"

-letter of interest

-resume

-letters of recommendation

-portfolio (max 10 pages)

Eligibility

-you must be a student returning to school in Fall 2012

-have valid authorization to work in U.S. (citizenship or J1 visa)
View Past Years

The SWA Summer Student Program is an excellent opportunity for university students to learn, grow, have real-life design experiences, and mix work with fun.

Internships, part-time work, study abroad, and company summer programs are great ways to refine your professional direction. Take as many opportunities as you can to explore the many arenas available to you through landscape architecture. Among those opportunities, apply for our program. It may be one of the most important and enjoyable experiences you have in your early professional development.

About the program

SWA is pleased to announce its 2012 Summer Internship Program. The Program will consist of a four-week design studio in its San Francisco, California office, and will be followed by traditional individual internships in SWA's six national offices. The program is open to any student of landscape architecture who will be returning to study in the Fall of 2012.

The four week Design Studio provides program participants with their own "real life" project and client. Each week students will work with one principal and one associate from the various SWA offices at differing design scales. Students will begin inventorying the site and exploring regional planning ideas, and with each subsequent week will increase in design scale by moving from master planning to site design and finishing the last week by creating a specific object or objects. All the while they will be working with community members and stake holders to provide a meaningful product at the end of the program.

While in San Francisco students will also participate in weekend road trips to explore the region in which they are designing. These road trips and tours are an opportunity for students to get to know their fellow interns as well as other SWA designers. Included in these trips are opportunities to visit SWA projects both complete and under construction.

Upon completion of the Design Studio Portion of the program, students will then begin their office internship in one of 6 different SWA offices across the nation. There they will participate in current projects as members of the design team. Students will be given the opportunity to see what it is like to be a traditional member of the SWA design team.

SWA hopes that students engaged in the program will be aided in bridging the gap between theory and professional practice and that they will return to their studies enriched by their exposure to other students, designers, and by an introduction to a highly focused design practice.

SWA will provide housing during both the design studio and internship periods of the program. Interns should expect to pay for their travel expenses at the beginning and end of the program. SWA will pay either a stipend or hourly wage during the month-long internship period only (depending on visa and other considerations), and will also pay for travel from the group studio portion to the individual office internships. Internship locations for each participant will be decided at the end of the group studio period.

In order to enter the US for our Summer Program you will need a J-1 visa or a F-1 visa with CPT card. To obtain the J-1 visa a Form DS 2019 must be completed and signed and taken to the US embassy in your home country. Please contact the website for Council Exchange at:

www.councilexchange.org

or the interexchange website at:

www.interexchange.org

There you will find all the information needed to obtain your J-1 visa.