Design Research Internship Model at UofT’s Daniels Faculty expands with LEAF grant
An architecture internship model called DRIP (Design Research Internship Project) was created for UofT's Daniels Faculty's Architectural Studies Program by Pina Petricone, associate professor of architecture at the Daniels Faculty and principal of Giannone Petricone Architects in Toronto.
A new architecture internship model for experiential learning called DRIP (Design Research Internship Project), created for UofT’s Daniels Faculty’s Architectural Studies Program, is expanding with the help of a LEAF impact grant.
The model, created by Pina Petricone, associate professor of architecture at the Daniels Faculty and principal of Giannone Petricone Architects in Toronto, is on its third cycle with almost 20 Toronto architecture firms participating.
Established in 2022, DRIP aims to explore models of design research in both academic and professional practice.
DRIP is a unique curricular initiative in the Daniels Faculty’s Architectural Studies program, and was designed to provide high-impact teaching for senior undergraduate students.
It differs from other internships by bridging academic knowledge with professional practice. In this initiative, professor Petricone collaborates with local design practitioners to define design research projects for interns during a six-week summer term.
Participating firms in DRIP 2023 include BORTOLOTTO, Denegri Bessai, ERA, Farrow Partners, gh3*, Hariri Pontarini, KPMB, LGA Architectural Partners, Moriyama Teshima Architects, Office Ou, Public Work, Saucier+Perrotte Architectes, Superkül, SvN, Teeple Architects, Williamson Williamson, WZMH and ZAS Architects + Interiors.
DRIP provides students with an educational experience outside the classroom and exposes them to architectural design as scholarly research.
Petricone received a LEAF Impact Grant of more than $160,000 to research and develop DRIP as a model for architectural education.
The LEAF Impact Grant supports the development and advancement of DRIP as a sustainable, innovative curricular initiative. Additionally, the grant aims to make this learning opportunity available to a larger component of the Architectural Studies program.
“I believe it is in this liberal arts milieu where we find opportunity to not only bridge academic research with professional practice, but also to define for students models of design research that advance lessons from design studios and coursework into multivalent—and sometimes interdisciplinary—design research problems,” said Petricone.
“I have been overwhelmed by the positive response from my colleagues in the profession. The calibre of work they produce with their DRIP interns is testament to the potential for this new experiential learning model to have unique impact on professional architecture, landscape architecture, and design projects.”
The initiative stands as a model for design internships and leverages the wealth of design practitioners in Toronto—and potentially other parts of the world as well.
Pina Petricone is an associate professor of architecture at the Daniels Faculty and principal of Giannone Petricone Architects in Toronto.
