Internship Summer 2023: Computational Urban Design

March 27th. No Longer accepting applications. (If you have already applied, don’t worry we got your application.)

We Are

KPF is a leading architecture and master planning firm that designs projects of various scales around the world. You will be working with the KPF Urban Interface (KPFui) team, which is a team focused on computational design, data analytics and technology development. KPFui uses data analytics for informed decision making in the design of buildings and cities for people.

We believe that smart cities & buildings are not about drones, sensors or autonomous vehicles. A truly smart city should leverage data to design better neighborhoods and utilize technology to make that data transparent and publicly accessible. We think people should be in control of technology and not the other way around.

Role Description

We are looking for a candidate that can work across the world of architectural design, urban planning, and technology and within one of five technical areas:

  1. C# / Rhino Common / dotNET software development
  2. Front end web development
  3. Machine Learning / AI
  4. Computational Urban Design in Rhino + Grasshopper
  5. Smart urbanism research

We've created individual postings for each of the technical areas, but candidates don't need to be limited to one category. For example, someone interested in Machine Learning may also want to build a front-end framework to test their models, or someone researching Smart Urbanism could use their findings to develop computational design tools. To learn more, click the links above.

By joining us, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from others working in all five internship areas.

Computational Urban Design

Overview

In this role, you will use, modify, and develop computational design tools in Grasshopper for application on urban design projects at KPF. You will collaborate with project teams to analyze the performance of their designs and provide design recommendations to facilitate performance-driven decision making. The analysis will cover topics such as views and daylighting for buildings, origin/destination routing for mobility, outdoor thermal comfort for open space, and research and development of new tools. You will also look for opportunities to automate workflows and embed expert knowledge in design tools, in collaboration with project teams and others on the UI team.

Skills Required

  • Expertise with Rhino and Grasshopper
  • Familiarity with simulation and analysis tools in grasshopper
  • Excellent graphic design and visual representation skills
  • Experience with Adobe InDesign

Learning Opportunities

  • Learn a programming language, either C# or Vue.js
  • How to develop computational urban design models and analyze design spaces
  • Communicating complex data and analysis in a clear and actionable manner

Application

Please apply by submitting a CV, portfolio or website, and an additional relevant material, such as GitHub or writing sample, to lwilson@kpf.com and epietraszkiewic@kpf.com with the subject line “Summer Internship 2023 Application.” Please indicate which area(s) you are applying to work on. The deadline to apply is March 30th.

Logistics

Pay: $25 an hour and $37.5 an hour for overtime.

Time range: 10 - 12 weeks. Start date and end date are flexible

Location: The internship will be in New York City.