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Rewiring the Framework for Architectural Education
At the AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference, Rafael Chavez, AIA, presented “Rewiring the Framework for Architectural Education,” offering insights into transforming the profession by engaging students earlier in their educational journey. Chavez, a licensed architect and project architect at HDR, also known as DJ Chavo and Coach Chavo, began with an interactive warm-up, leveraging his certified personal trainer credentials to energize the audience. He shared his academic background at the University of Illinois and recounted his formative work experience in Guam during the recession, which shaped his global perspective.
Chavez introduced the NCARB by the Numbers report, revealing a 12.9-year average licensure timeline and a decline in registered architects, alongside promising diversity trends. He proposed shifting the starting line for architectural education to high school, highlighting Colorado’s integration of career clusters and the CEC Early College program led by Margarita Gonzalez, Assoc. AIA. This program equips students with certifications in tools like Revit and SketchUp and fosters collaboration and design thinking.
Chavez detailed the Denver Public Schools Launch Internship Program, which provides paid internships through firm donations ($500 for spring/fall, $1700 for summer). He emphasized its impact on graduation rates, with participants achieving a 90% rate compared to the district’s 77%. Weekly intern presentations were highlighted as a key strategy for building communication skills, alongside technical fluency. Chavez shared the success story of Shap, a former intern who mastered design tools, created advanced models, and enrolled at USC with full funding.
Comparing the Launch Program to ACE and CAL initiatives, Chavez noted its tailored focus on architecture and its ability to foster meaningful mentorship. He showcased HDR’s investment in interns, including success stories of former participants joining the firm as professionals. Chavez concluded by urging firms to host high school interns, emphasizing the importance of equity in action and the need to cultivate the next generation of architects through early engagement and mentorship.
Takeaways
You know, we really invest in technical fluency in our offices, in our studios as a profession. But sometimes cultural fluency is a bit, I would say, overlooked… These are a lot of the things that we hear from students that are coming from these high schools from, from these programs. The most common example, I didn’t know about architecture. Next one, a really big one. I need to support my family sometimes.
Typically we’re starting with college interns coming into the industry and beginning their first internship as a freshman in college. I’m really proposing on shifting that starting line. NCARB has a set date which is basically after you graduate high school on when you can start that NCARB profile. And I want to suggest that we shift that now.
Now the question I want to ask everyone, has anyone hosted an architecture intern in the high school level in their studio or how many? We need more of that. We need more of that investment in the community because I think there is this stigma behind what high school students are capable of.
70% of the students who participated in the coach and launch program have reported an increase in their professional network. By the time these students are graduating, they already have connections in the industry, and they have connections and people and mentors that they can talk to if they have any questions or are in college and not having the support they need.
During the 2023 and 2024 DPS report, the Launch Internship Program had over 400 unique enrollments and they had a 90% completion rate with the program. That is, that’s like unheard of for a high schooler.
What does that time commitment look like on the company side? It really just takes one person. It takes one champion in the office… And really, you’re only spending around, like, one to two hours max per week with these interns.
Two key points on this one that I think is very interesting is the networking… And I mentioned before the launch graduation rate, the district is on the bottom. It’s 90% for Denver Public Schools students who went through the launch program. That is a huge increase of students graduating from their peers that aren’t participating in these internships.
Kate was a Summer intern in 2022 and she was able to get into Cal Poly architecture program after her internship program… Then there’s Shap. I don’t know how he did it, but aside from him submitting to USC architecture program and using the project to submit as a portfolio, he was able to submit and find funding for school. He had all four years paid after he was accepted.
Looking at the 10 year span, that typical span for architects in the NCARB program trying to get license, looking at white candidates versus candidates of color, there is a big discrepancy between how many are getting licensed, and finishing that program. It’s nearly double.
Their class structure is broken down into a two year program. You can enroll as early as a freshman, but typically you’ll see around the sophomore through senior level high schoolers get started on these on this program essentially is broken down into four semesters. Starting from kicking off with the fundamentals of architecture and design and then introducing all our tool sets such as Revit, SketchUp, AutoCAD and they even go after certifications in those programs by the time they graduate.