1. Summer Internship 2009: McMahon Architects by Rafael Nunez ’10

2. McMahon Architects Owned by David McMahon, McMahon Architects is a small architectural firm, located in the south end of Boston on Albany Street.

3. McMahon’s The firm takes on small jobs pertaining to renovations and designing of office spaces. In addition, it also designs residential spaces. The firm consist of David McMahon and his five employees. Each employee usually works independently on a job and makes a progress report at a weekly meeting. Everyone at the firm has similar duties, such as doing field surveys and drafting, but these duties vary depending on the job site.

4. My Role at McMahon Architects At the firm I was given my own desk and computer, which is unusual for a summer intern. This made it possible for me to fit into the firm as well as any new employee would. Throughout my time at the firm, I worked closely with Jess Hamilton, Paul McAdam and Peter Kennet. Jess and Paul are drafting members of the team and Peter, the project manager.

5. My Tasks at McMahon Architects I worked on the newly contracted jobs. The first step consisted of doing a field survey. A field survey is done in order to ensure that previously drawn floor plans are correct. The next step is to fix and redraft the floor plans in order to confirm their accuracy. After these two steps were completed, the subsequent steps were carried out by another employee. As weeks passed, I settled into a familiar routine of doing field surveys followed by drafting floor plans.

6. Faneuil Hall The empty office spaces in the historic buildings that flank Quincy Market, near Faneuil Hall, were the first places in which I conducted field surveys. This was also my favorite assignment because I got to work in one of the oldest and most famous places in Boston. Faneuil Hall Quincy Market

7. What I Learned During my internship I improved my drafting skills in AutoCAD 2009. I learned the correct manner to conduct a field survey, such as paying close attention to details. Floor plan drafted using AutoCAD 2009.

8. Recommending McMahon I would recommend this firm to prospective architectural students seeking an internship. It was a valuable learning experience in that I improved my drafting skills and obtained a general view of what it is like to work at an architectural firm. In addition, working at McMahon made me feel like I was a part of the team. The prospective intern contact at this firm is Gerry Vann at 535 Albany St. Boston, MA 02118. Phone: (617) 482-5353.

9. A Word of Advice This firm is well suited for people who enjoy consistent workweeks composed of similar processes for each job. It requires close attention to detail and collaboration with others. As my boss wisely stated, when applying for a job, prospective interns should make sure to ask questions in order to ensure that the job is suited for them.