SPOTLIGHT: KSS INTERNS OF SUMMER '19

Introducing our KSS summer interns! We are excited to have these enthusiastic young professionals join us in our mission to energize communities and connect people to place. At KSS we mentor and encourage our interns to immerse themselves in greater conversations of architecture, design, and relentless creativity, guiding them to discover new techniques, programs, and confidence to grow into the professionals they seek to become. Welcome!

JIHYE SON

PRINCETON OFFICE

“While working at the KSS Princeton office, I have learned a lot about different approaches and design solutions through multiple projects and how architects should be rigorous to design optimal spaces while considering multiple stakeholders’ desires and concerns. Also, I once again learned how graphics can be a strong story-telling mechanism that can convey architectural goals and ideas.”

 Jihye is currently a student studying architecture and infrastructure planning at NJIT. She believes architecture is the bridge between art and science—creating enormous possibilities. Jihye is passionate to be an architect who can design comfortable, enjoyable, and unique spaces for its users. Her interests also span to interior, lighting, and stage design, which has led her to earn a minor in theater art and tech. After her second year of architecture school, Jihye received the KSS Endowed Scholarship Award and is looking forward to KSS’s various projects that deliberate passion and vision.

 RACHAEL KULISH

PHILADELPHIA  OFFICE

“The experience I’ve had while working with my project team has been really informative. I’ve never worked on a higher education, renovation project before, so I’m learning a lot about this market sector’s needs and this specific client’s goals to elevate their space. The mentorship I’ve received from my team has also been impactful to me.  It’s not always easy to take time to give honest feedback when the summer is packed with deadlines, but my team has always taken the time to coach me on how to more effectively communicate my ideas both verbally and graphically.  I know these skills in particular are going to help me grow professionally now and in the future.”

Rachael is passionate about creating environments that enhance the interactions between people and the spaces they occupy, capitalizing on unique features that are already present, or introducing new solutions to improve outcomes for people. Traveling is a large influencer of what inspires her as a designer, whether it is the metropolital capitals of Asia or the remote virgin countrysides of South America, these diverse landscapes provide rich experiences for Rachel to draw upon for inspiration and have helped elevate her understanding of how people use and shape their world. Her interest in KSS stems from a desire to be part of a work environment centered on ensuring that designed spaces improve lives for people, the community they live in, and the environmental landscape at large.

 SAM RUBENSTEIN

NEW YORK OFFICE

“I’ve learned to enhance a variety of technical drawing skills as well as new techniques to better articulate ideas in my drawings. I also learned how to both conduct research more efficiently and be able to graphically represent that information. All skills I’ll be able to bring to upcoming studio projects.”

 Sam is going into his second and final year of the M.Arch program at Penn State after graduating with a B.S. in Architecture from the University at Buffalo. He previously did an internship last summer at B. Thayer Associates, a multidisciplinary firm focusing on transportation and government projects. Through that, Sam had the opportunity to work on projects ranging from the Brooklyn Bridge to the World’s Fair Marina and collaborate with many different public offices. He also spent the summer participating in architectural competitions with some of his peers.

 Sam loves to read, particularly non-fiction because it allows him to constantly keep learning. Whether it’s historical or current, he enjoys hearing other people’s insights and their ability to tell stories based on real occurrences, as well as telling his own. You can find Sam skiing, hiking, or just exploring on the weekends!

 TYLER PARK

PHILADELPHIA OFFICE

“While working at KSS, I have learned to be more diligent in my representation of ideas. Working on design options and renderings for a couple projects, I feel I have improved my ability to convey my design intent.”

There are two concepts which have grown increasingly important to Tyler as a student: the architecture of the everyday and the idea of slowness. The architecture of the everyday is what inspires him to be creative. It is often architecture which is built out of necessity, by non-architects. It rejects pretension for subtlety, and it plays an important role in making a place. It inspires Tyler to try to design architecture which can be accessible and impactful for everyone, and which resonates within its environment.

 The idea of slowness is what continually reignites his passion for architecture and what has become the common   thread between all aspects of his life. Tyler is drawn to activities like camping and film photography because of the inherent slow quality of them. Studying at Virginia Tech, I have learned to love the slowness of process: hand drafting, model making, film development. These methods not only help to deepen his level of engagement with a project, but have become a means of joy and relaxation.  

 With these two ideas, Tyler hopes to design architecture which is always meaningful and true to place and which always accommodates the human condition.

ZACH BEIM

PRINCETON OFFICE

“This summer, I’ve learned just how much iteration goes into a project. In an academic setting, everything is focused on the basics of design, such as form and function. At KSS, we delve far beyond that stage and work relentlessly to develop the smallest details of a project to be just as thoughtful and efficient as the larger concepts that drive the design.”

With his final year of his undergraduate architectural education approaching quickly, Zach brings an academic approach to his work at KSS Architects. He views each day at KSS as another lesson, and strives to improve his skillset every day, believing that the office and the classroom can be one and the same. Zach enjoys working with his hands, and spends his free time taking on home improvement projects. He loves the details in a project, and is fascinated by the way in which they impact the greater whole. Fittingly, he enjoys and has spent time studying the work of Carlo Scarpa, a master of connecting the littlest details to the bigger picture. He brings these interests into his work at KSS with an eye for detail and an understanding of systems and the way in which parts of a building communicate. When he’s not in the office or working on a personal project, Zach enjoys spending time outdoors running, playing tennis, or rock climbing.