NEW OPEN POSITION:
London Summer Internship 2021 – Environmental Designer / Low Carbon
Material Strategies
Description:
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (International) PA (KPF - https://www.kpf.com/) is seeking a talented Environmental Designer passionate about sustainability and building performance to join our London office Environmental Performance (KPFep) team for a 2-3 months summer internship. The intern’s work time will be divided between project design work and a summer long research and tool development project.
The person taking this position will help the KPFep team to grow and develop new design resources with an especial focus on embodied carbon and materials lifecycle. They will be tasked to research KPF structural and façade solutions for commercial construction, and analyze the global warming potential of alternative material systems, as well as how those can better be incorporated in current KPF design workflows by integrating LCA databases into Revit, Rhino and Grasshopper. This research will help develop KPF’s in-house toolkit for building lifecycle carbon design. In addition, they will work directly with KPF design teams on ongoing projects in concept, schematic and development phases by providing environmental design support. This will involve researching and visualising sustainability strategies, as well as analysing design options through climate, thermal, daylight, energy and material simulation.
About KPF and KPFep:
At KPF we recognise that the built environment plays an integral role in the health and performance of both human and ecological systems. Given our escalating climate crisis, we believe it is imperative to design and advocate for resilient architectural solutions that minimise GHG emissions, and enhance the wellbeing of the communities they serve. As signatories of the RIBA2030 challenge, we are committed to design and deliver carbon neutral buildings by 2030. The large scale and urban nature of our projects, capable of shaping the spaces, systems and microclimates around them, defines our approach and brings an exciting set of challenges that the EP team helps overcome. KPFep is an in-house group of building performance experts dedicated to advancing this mission through the use of technology and simulation as part of KPF’s design process.
KPF London offers internship positions of varying durations to approximately 7-10 highly talented students each year. Students participating in this programme come from accredited design programmes and universities from around the world. Each student brings with them their own unique personal and cultural experiences and skills. When combined with our core staff of approximately 140 architects from over 25 different countries, the result is an unparalleled and challenging experience to work with highly motivated people on some of the most remarkable design opportunities across the globe.
Requirements:
Applicants must currently be in an accredited Undergraduate or Master Programme (Architecture or Engineering), with a focus on Environmental/Sustainable Design, Building Science or Material Science, and possess the following skills:
- Passion for learning and applying principles of sustainable and high-performance design
- Strong graphic, design and visualisation skills
- Proficiency with Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Excel
- Proficiency with Revit, Rhino and Grasshopper
- Good written, verbal, and visual communication skills, for engaging with KPF teams
- Some exposure and experience with thermal or daylight simulation tools within the Rhino/GH environment, such as DIVA, Climate Studio or Ladybug/Honeybee
- Basic knowledge of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods and currently available LCA software tools for the analysis of embodied carbon in architecture
- Basic computation/coding skills in C# and/or Python not required but highly desirable
- Familiarity with the LEED/WELL certification systems not required but desirable
Compensation:
We offer our interns a competitive salary inclusive of London weighting and the opportunity to participate in a number of competitive company benefits.
Application:
When applying to the position please submit your CV, a portfolio with pertinent design, research and modelling work, and a short cover letter. All materials should be sent by email to: careers-ld@kpf.com with the heading: ‘Summer Intern – Environmental Design’. The final deadline for applications is Monday April 26th 2021.
KPF is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes diversity in the workplace. Please note that participation in KPF’s Internship Programme is voluntary and that KPF is under no obligation to offer an internship position to any applicant for any reason.