A Summer with Hoerr Schaudt

These three jumped right in with our design and siteworks studios. A big thank you to Alison, Kaia, and Catherine for their eagerness to learn and add value to our team and projects. It's always refreshing to experience our work through a fresh set of eyes! In looking back over their time at Hoerr Schaudt this summer, we asked each of them to share some thoughts—here's what they had to say:

What was the highlight of your internship at Hoerr Schaudt and why was it so special for you? 

Alison: As a Hoerr Schaudt intern, I had the opportunity to spend time working with all the studios in Chicago’s office, from Siteworks and Continued Landscape Management to Planting and Studio Design. From a career perspective it was valuable to gain more experience in the variety of work completed across these disciplines. From a personal perspective, I enjoyed getting to learn about everyone’s unique journey into the world of landscape architecture alongside the areas of landscape architecture they are passionate about.

Kaia: One of my favorite aspects of the internship experience was participating in plant layouts for various projects. It was so cool to see how a two-dimensional plan and drawings can be reflected into a cohesive landscape design. I always enjoyed the opportunity to visit sites and evaluate the progress that has been made so far and assess the steps for the team to complete to keep the project moving forward. 

Catherine: Being around diverse working content and getting exposure to the different phases of projects was definitely a highlight. It's so important to gain hands-on experience and being able to do so at such a prestigious landscape architecture firm was vital to my growth as an individual and for my future career. 

What did you learn about your future career while interning at Hoerr Schaudt?

Alison: My time at Hoerr Schaudt encouraged me to keep exploring the areas of design that inspire me. While I gained valuable experience in both residential and commercial projects at Hoerr Schaudt, my time here has shown me that I want to continue exploring commercial projects in the future. On a larger scale, I was able to observe how a landscape firm like Hoerr Schaudt functions as a business in the design world.

Kaia: I learned a lot about what I would want to do in the future as a landscape architect! It was great to be able to spend time learning about each studio within the firm and gain a better understanding of how the design process flows from ideation to installation. For myself, I really value being outside and seeing the progress of a project and how all the pieces are coming together: how the hardscape is interacting with the softscape, the interaction between the canopy and understory, and how details of the architecture are reflected in the plant palette. I am excited to take what I have learned from this short experience to inform the kind of work I want to do in the future as I continue to learn about different innovative ideas for landscape design.

If you were describing your time at Hoerr Schaudt to a friend, what would you say?

Alison: Interning at Hoerr Schaudt provided me with a variety of valuable experiences ranging across all the stages of design. There was a great balance of hands-on site work, learning opportunities in the field, drafting time, and cooperative design development.

Kaia: Every day of the internship provided an opportunity to learn something new and dive deep into a project. It was great to get to know team members from each studio and see the different perspectives when approaching design opportunities, especially in the field at plant layouts. I learned that there are a lot more details that go into the design and installation of a site from paving patterns to the size of trees at installation. 

Catherine: The whole team was super helpful and supportive to me and to each other. I had a lot of happy and fun happy hours working at Hoerr Schaudt.

What is one piece of information or advice that you will take with you from your time at Hoerr Schaudt?

Alison: Be curious and keep asking questions! 

Kaia: One piece of advice that I learned during my time at Hoerr Schaudt is to look at challenges as a means for learning opportunities. One of the biggest aspects of landscape architecture is the unpredictability of working in outdoor environments and collaboration with contractors, architects, and other specialists. Even when tasks were difficult, I felt supported from my weekly mentors to iterate, try new ways of approaching a tasks, and to ask questions. It was great to see that even when things do not go exactly as planned, there are ways to find solutions with support from a team.