Looking for practice with real world projects. I am interested in interior and structural design. Attending school now. Looking for a way I can figure out what an employer would ask of me, give me for a project. Is it due today? Next week? Am I literally taking verbal/written descriptions of the house or building and then drawing it to the best of my ability? And make changes from there? What typical things would I be asked to draw on a daily basis for a interior design company?Architecture firm that does all apartments?Commercial buildings?

Residential.You may be asked to design an addition to an existing house turning a two bedroom/one bathroom house into a three bedroom/two bathroom house with the second bathroom being an ensuite.Or you could be tasked with designing a two or three car garage with an in-law apartment above accessed via a set of stairs.Other design projects might be...-Raise the roof on a single story ranch style house and add a second story.-Design renovations to a house where a wall will be removed to expand a kitchen/dining space.-Add a large deck to the upper floor of a raised ranch.-Design a deck with an outdoor kitchen area and a place for a hot tub.-Design a zero energy ready home which includes solar panels.-Design a tiny house for a retired couple they can tow behind their Ford Expedition as the do a grand tour of the lower 48 states and Alaska.-Design a bedroom and ensuite bathroom for a two family Victorian country style house that will be located in the basement and require a set of circular stairs to access.  Don't forget the room will also require a second means of egress in the event of a fire by way of the cellar hatchway.Or you could get the ultimate prize and be asked to design a 6,000 square foot house with five bedrooms, six bathrooms, media room, office, great room, and a gourmet kitchen.Is that enough for you?

John Connor2016-07-17 12:26:21

Commercial.Design a strip mall that will house several tenants including a nail saloon, liquor store, small grocery store, cell phone store, etc.Design a four story R&D facility (labs) along with offices for all the employees, an on-site gym, cafeteria, receptionist area, elevator, staircase (main and secondary) board room, meeting rooms, storage areas for files and printed materials, copier room, and don't forget you'll need to include space to house all the mechanical equipment (HVAC, boilers, etc.).Design an addition to a museum that dates from the late 1800's such that it blends in with the original building yet reflects a bold new move to the future keeping in mind it must fit in with the surrounding residential neighborhood in which it is situated.Design a chemical process building for a specialty chemical manufacturer that will include a motor control center, operator control room, and adjacent tank farm.  The building has to be big enough to house six 3,000 gallon reactors, at least two small (150-200 gallon receivers) per reactor, pumps, filters, condensers, heat exchangers, scales, not to mention all the piping, valves and instrumentation.  The exterior of the building should be masonry surrounding a steel frame and the it should be tall enough to allow for a mezzanine near the top of the six reactors so workers can access the equipment.  The tank farm must have a diked wall at least 36" high on the perimeter and a concrete housekeeping pad for the dozen or so storage and distribution tanks associated with the building.Design a chalet for a ski resort.  Make it Adirondack style and large enough to accommodate 200 people.Design a self-storage center with a mix of small, medium and large storage rooms.Design a municipal police station or the main headquarters for a fire department keeping in mind their specialized needs.  Example: a police station would need an area to keep prisoners, a secured weapons storage area, a booking area, interrogation rooms, etc.Design a water treatment facility for a city of 100,000 people.Design a municipal park with facilities for playing tennis, baseball, soccer, concession area, bathrooms, storage area, parking, etc.Design a convention center for a city of 2.5 million people.  Or a NFL stadium that will seat 65,000 people.Design a post office.Design an office building to house a consulting engineering company with 125 employees and room to grow.Do any of the above sufficiently challenge you?

John Connor2016-07-17 13:16:58

Apartments.Layout of apartments on each floor of the building as well as all common areas such as stairwells, elevators, laundry facilities, workout center, etc.  You would also be asked to produce elevations as well as typical wall sections along with roof details.  Don't forget areas for HVAC equipment and maintenance will have to be included.Concurrent with the above door and window schedules will have to be generated.Add in a foundation plan and an electrical plan too.