The firm was happy to have two new faces in our office this summer helping on projects with new ideas! Laura Foster and Joshua Jordan joined our team in May for their internships and have made quite an impression. We are grateful for their contributions and time spent with us and wish them the best as they start to prepare for the start of the school year.
Laura Foster
I’m a fourth-year interior design major at La Roche University. I knew when I was in high school I wanted to pursue a career that allowed me to be creative, so I looked into Interior Design and immediately became interested in it. I especially enjoy commercial design, specifically healthcare, hospitality, and higher education design. I am also interested in sustainability design and love learning about all the ways interior designers can make a positive impact on the environment. Outside of design, I enjoy spending time outdoors, going hiking or kayaking, as well as taking nature photography!
Joshua Jordan
I’m a Master of Architecture student at Carnegie Mellon University set to graduate in the Spring of 2023. Prior to joining MCF, I had several years of experience working on smaller residential and commercial projects with other architecture firms in the Pittsburgh region, however, MCF gave me the opportunity to work on larger projects – such as colleges and hospitals.
I first decided to pursue a career in architecture because of its ability to positively impact our lives. Whether we realize it or not, the buildings we inhabit and interact with on a daily basis shape how we behave, and I find that fascinating. I ultimately want to design buildings that bring people together and promote a sense of community and empowerment.
Outside of architecture, I have a multitude of hobbies ranging from baking to painting, to homebrewing, to making pickles, and really doing anything tactile. I enjoy working with my hands, as it’s a nice break from staring at a screen all day. Although my favorite pastime is spending time with my fiancé and our cat Maple.
Questions:
How did you discover MCF Architecture?
Laura: My college (LaRoche) requires internships for a certain amount of hours to graduate, so this spring I looked up firms online in the Pittsburgh area and found MCF. I was interested in the Higher Education and Healthcare projects MCF has completed in the past and wanted to learn more about those sectors.
Joshua: I met with a representative from MCF who spoke at CMU’s career fair.
What projects have you been involved in?
Laura: I worked on a variety of projects in Higher Ed like the St. Vincent College Science Lab, and Franciscan University of Steubenville Center for Success. I have also been involved in conversations and discussions about the Penn Highlands Healthcare Hospital in State College.
Joshua: I have been involved with an assortment of Higher Ed projects and Healthcare. In specific, I have worked on the Penn Highlands Healthcare Hospital, Theotokos Monastery, Mt. Aloysius Library and Franciscan University Academic Building in Steubenville.
What surprised you most about joining MCF – anything you didn’t expect project-wise or with work?
Laura: I was surprised at the amount of collaboration. I loved working with the team of architects and designers. It was a very cool experience where I was able to learn a lot about the process.
Joshua: I didn’t realize how much thought, effort, planning, and coordination goes into a large hospital project. It was quite intimidating at times, but I feel I adapted fairly quickly.
What was the most important lesson learned?
Laura: My overall design skills have strengthened by observing and working together with the design team. One area that grew the most for me was material selection and specification, and how to put palettes together that make sense.
Joshua: Never be afraid to ask questions. Most of my learning at MCF happened in conversations that resulted from asking follow-up questions when working through my tasks.
Anything you can take with you to the school year?
Laura: Yes, the overall design process, observing how designers work and how they do things in a certain order is going to help me with design projects this year. I know more about every step of the process and learned a bit about everything
Joshua: Ask questions!