Work Program Architects (WPA)
Work Program Architects was founded in 2010. Located in the historic Assembly Building in Downtown Norfolk, WPA has an open studio environment that encourages collaboration between staff, clients, consultants, and the community.
WPA is focused on educational and municipal work, civic landmarks, places of business, and any place where people gather. Our multi-disciplinary design process results in projects unique to their location. The relationships we build with our clients and the community create buildings, neighborhoods, and urban places that connect people in living, working, and social spaces. WPA comprises professionals with a broad range of skills including architecture,
industrial design, urban planning, interior design, graphic design, fabrication, modeling, educational programming, community engagement, and project management. We value a healthy and collaborative environment in which we develop responsible professionals and effective leaders and foster the efforts of
engaged citizens.
WPA’s mission is to strengthen community through our design process.
OUR CORE VALUES
COLLABORATIVE We are true collaborators within the WPA studio, with our clients, consultants, other architects, and the community. We’ve built out additional desks, meeting space, and a gallery in order to make a physical space for these opportunities.
COMMUNITY-FOCUSED We support our local community and believe in real public process where everyone has an equal voice and feels invested. We deliberately take on pro bono work to demonstrate our dedication to community projects.
OPEN AND TRANSPARENT We’ve built our business on true transparency. Finances are an open book, as we believe it provides for two-way accountability. By opening ourselves up for critique, we can grow and develop our practice more rapidly.
GENERALISTS We design for all types of projects and take on work on the condition that it allows us to learn something new. While we are developing expertise in certain areas, we will never specialize in any type of work.
PROCESS-DRIVEN We practice process-driven design. The same steps apply to all sizes and types of projects. This reinforces all of our other Core Values.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design Assistance: Support architecture and urban design teams in developing conceptual designs and iterative design development
- Research: Conduct research on precedence, materials, site context, etc
- Client Meetings and Site Visits: Participate in client meetings and site visits, documenting conditions and preparing meeting minutes
- Presentation Preparation: Assist in preparing visual presentations and graphics for client meetings including, but not limited to: renderings, diagrams, plans
- Collaboration: Work closely with the project team, participating in team meetings and pin ups
Qualifications:
- Education Enrolled as a third-year in Virginia Tech's School of Architecture
- Design Skills: Strong conceptual design skills that are contextually considerate. Interest in the urban context and interdisciplinary design such as urban design, graphic design, and interiors.
- Software Proficiency: Foundation proficiency in creative and architecture software such as Rhino, SketchUp, and Adobe Creative Suite. Revit is a plus but not required.
- Communication: Effective verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
- Creativity and Problem-solving: Ability to think critically and creatively in a fast-paced design environment
- Time Management: Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks
- Portfolio: A portfolio demonstrating a range of design skills and previous academic or project work
Duration: January 6th, 2025 - January 17th, 2025
Location
Norfolk, VA