Inzwischen ist unsere Jungunternehmerin Sophia seit 3 Monaten in Porto. Und sie ist dort so gut aufgenommen worden, dass sie nun ihr eigenes Projekt durchführen darf. Aber lest selbst.

At the beginning of October, I got the chance to start a housing project for a private Portuguese client by myself. The site is located in Porto, not far away from the seaside. It will be a new construction of apartments. The challenge will be the height of the new building because I have to take the surrounding buildings into consideration of the design. This challenge though is a good anchor for the concept of the design as it will shape the overall form. I learned a lot about Portuguese construction laws as well as how to coordinate a project for construction approval. I am designing from scratch, which means I have a lot of freedom regarding the outer and inner shape of the project. I am planning and organizing meetings for the client, preparing presentations and researching material references and design ideas. During the design process, I am always guided by the leading team of the office. Whenever I have a question or doubts I always have someone to talk to and discuss.

The project helps me a lot considering gaining new insights into the architecture day to day life as well as adding new knowledge of office management and design skills to my experience. These types of experiences are essential and very important for an architect. It is a great project because I can learn every little detail of project management from the beginning. I learn how to integrate design ideas from the client into my own ideas as well as respecting the laws to make it through the construction approval. The project is still ongoing as it will be more precise and detailed each week. I am looking forward to the ongoing schematic designing process.