After a Covid-engendered false start in the summer of 2020, the inaugural Design Research Internship Project (DRIP) will finally be launched this summer by Associate Professor Pina Petricone in partnership with 15 local design firms.  

The unique initiative will provide senior BAAS students with the opportunity to apply their critical drawing, modelling and research skills to real projects under the direction of a local practitioner. The internship is designed to not only bridge academic research with professional practice, but also to expose students to models of design research that advance lessons from design studios and course work into multivalent and sometimes interdisciplinary design research problems.  

The deadline for submitting an application is end of day on Monday, April 4. Apply online here.

Two years ago, restrictions imposed by the pandemic postponed the launch of DRIP to this year, although a kind of Design Research Internship Pilot was offered by Prof. Petricone last summer through her firm Giannone Petricone Architects. Last year, 12 senior Architectural Studies students were selected to participate in the intensive internship and undertake group and individual work that collectively contributed to a document called the Atlas of Light Operations, a compendium that traces various custom light fixtures, built and under construction for a range of Giannone Petricone projects.  

The work began with a review and analysis of the collection of custom-designed light fixtures through drawings, shop drawings and construction photos, alongside an accelerated design project for the graphic representation of the final Atlas. Students were guided by presentations of models for design research and its systems of representation as well as individual and group feedback.  

The internship culminated in a comprehensive visual document in the form of a collection — an atlas that traces critical parts and contexts for the series. Although each fixture is unique, tailored to its host space, the design research ultimately expressed each custom-designed piece as inseparable from its cultural context, material and otherwise.  

“As a local practitioner myself, I can appreciate first-hand the value that research internships can bring to the general rigour of experimentation for real-world design projects,” says Prof. Petricone. “This work is often considered a luxury within the timeline of a project; however, this research internship can afford local offices additional resources in order to linger productively on questions of design, context, morphology, history and impact for any given design project.” 

A range of accomplished local practitioners will be participating in this summer’s inaugural internship project. Visit this page for a list of them, along with a brief description of their internship offerings.

Proposed research internships range from historical, theoretical, contextual, cultural, morphological and formal analysis/documentation designed to support the practitioner-defined design project.  

The design project can range from a document or object to an installation, exhibition, building or neighbourhood. 

Below are images from the Atlas of Light Operations created at Giannone Petricone Architects during the Design Research Internship Pilot:

Atlas of Light Operations – Excerpt, for Giannone Petricone Architects. Left: Drum by Jiachen Du. Right: Mushroom by Lhanzi Gyaltsan

Atlas of Light Operations – Composite, Giannone Petricone Architects. Left: Monza fabrication. Right: Monza in situ, Los Angeles.

Atlas of Light Operations – Excerpt, for Giannone Petricone Architects. Left: Cascade by Kathryna Cuizon. Right: Imola by Janet Ma.

Atlas of Light Operations – Composite, Giannone Petricone Architects. Left: Mushroom under construction. Right: Imola fabrication.

Atlas of Light Operations – Excerpt, for Giannone Petricone Architects. Left: Globe by Maya Freeman. Right: Loom by Sally Chiu

Banner Image: Atlas of Light Operations – Contents, for Giannone Petricone Architects. Participating Interns: Sally Chiu, Kathryna Cuizon, Jiachen Du, Maya Freeman, Lhanzi Gyaltsan, Sarah Janelle, Christopher Law, Christina Lin, Janet Ma, Negar Mashoof, Danah Owaida, Megan So.