Ritika Iyer, who graduated in 2024 with a BA in Architecture, completed two co-ops during her time at CAMD. She took us behind the scenes at her co-op with RODE Architects.

Her answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Is this your first co-op? Or have you been on one previously? How does it compare?

This is my second co-op, and third professional experience. My first co-op was at Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB), a 300-person firm with 4 offices nationwide, that specializes in multifamily residential, aviation, higher education, and life science projects. The Boston office was just getting started as I joined, and I was able to watch the firm double in size during my 6 months.

I completed an internship between my first and second co-ops at Stantec, a 25,000+ person firm focusing on architecture and engineering. The company has more than 400 offices across 6 continents, Boston being one of the largest at 150+ people. The Boston office specializes in multifamily residential, labs, offices, landscape architecture, and interior design.

RODE is a 35-person design firm, founded in 2006, located in the South End of Boston, specializing in multifamily, hospitality, industrial, and institutional work, with a real focus on sustainability and community engagement. RODE’s design philosophy is called “The RODE Way” and is about finding design solutions that are right for the client, right for the space, right for the community.

RODE is a relatively young firm compared to the corporate firms that I have worked at in the past. Thus, the experiences are very different from one another. SCB and Stantec were more established in the industry, had an international portfolio, and had a wealth of resources, investors, and shareholders. RODE is a much smaller company that focuses on its community.

The company is focused on building and strengthening client relationships while creating meaningful, sustainable, design solutions that impact the Boston community. RODE has also recently completed groundbreaking work in the sustainability sector, having recently received acclaim for its Brucewood Homes project (West Roxbury, MA) in the Wall Street Journal and several other media outlets.

Other experiences I have had, while notable and important to the trajectory of my collegiate career so far, have focused more on high-rise construction. I really enjoyed being able to make an impact on the skyline of different cities. It was a great experience working on high-profile, large-scale, and ever-changing projects.

Why did you choose this particular co-op?

RODE’s portfolio of local, community-driven projects appealed to me. Having come from firms with an international presence, RODE’s emphasis on serving the communities that they live in was something that drew me to the firm. The firm’s motto is “Build Where We Live,” and after having lived in Boston for more than 4 years, serving the community with my design skills felt like the natural next step. Furthermore, the firm was recently founded in 2006, and it was very clear to me that every designer at the firm has the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the firm.

What is your role? What are your responsibilities?

I am a Designer/Design Intern at RODE. I’ve been responsible for assisting with project design in all phases – schematic design, design development, construction documents, and during construction. I’ve done site analyses for potential projects in the area, figuring out what amenities the community adjacent to the site needs. I’ve made maps that show a short walking radius from a project site, and diagrammed nearby restaurants, cultural attractions, performance venues, locally owned markets, food halls, grocery stores, and fitness spaces.

I’ve designed apartment units to comply with accessibility requirements, building codes, and affordable housing guidelines. I’ve analyzed technical construction details and modeled building elements in 3D to resemble what would actually get constructed on site. I’ve also drawn fire exit route plans, prepared renderings for brokers to use when leasing out the building, and gone to two construction sites to see building progress.

What’s the most exciting part of your co-op?

The most exciting part has been being able to work on projects in my own community. Northeastern’s architecture program emphasizes using the city as a laboratory for exploration, and through my education, I have been able to get very familiar with the city’s neighborhoods, streets, urban typologies, and character. Through history classes at Northeastern, I’ve gone on field trips to different places and was able to carry that into my professional experience at RODE, where I can use knowledge on the history of neighborhoods to inform design decisions.

Since I have accrued more than a year’s worth of experience through my past professional experiences at SCB and Stantec, I’ve been given a lot of responsibility on my projects at RODE so far. I’ve been able to take ownership of certain parts of the building and have been able to contribute to design conversations with engineers and clients.

Another exciting part about the job is my commute. I live near the Massachusetts Avenue T-stop, and the office is located at the edge of the South End, so my daily commute is the most scenic, 1.5-mile walk through the historic and beautiful South End. I usually stop for a coffee or a vegan pastry at a locally-owned bakery along the way, so I’ve been able to explore the neighborhood’s morning food scene as I walk through the picturesque brownstone streets. I can’t wait for the winter!

How has this impacted your learning? Is it something you want to pursue further?

With every new experience that I collect in this industry, it further affirms my passion for the field. I am really excited about beginning my post-grad career in architecture and hope to take lessons from RODE’s innovative and community-centered design process into my career. I’m glad I got to work on local projects; the opportunity to see the work you do turn into a real, tangible product is so exciting. I hope to pursue local projects further.

Will you be able to bring your experience back to the classroom / studies in any way?

I’ll be taking the Comprehensive Design Studio, or the undergraduate thesis studio, next semester as I wrap up my Bachelor’s of Science in Architecture. The focus of that studio is the design of a building from start to finish, including the implementation of lighting, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fireproofing systems.

At RODE, I’ve learned how to design. I’ve learned what happens at the earlier phases of design, how to carry that design vision through design development, and how that manifests in the real world. I’ve learned how to conduct feasibility studies and a successful site analysis, two things that will be beneficial to do in the first few weeks of the next design studio I take. I know there is an immediate application of my professional experience to my academics, and I am really excited for the upcoming semester.

What’s something about the co-op which has been completely unexpected, but essential to the experience?

I was told that, even as the youngest employee, that I have an opportunity to shape the mold of the firm. While it was a great sentiment, I did not realize that I could be an agent for change within such a short time. After a couple months of working at RODE, I realized that I wanted to help create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee at the firm. Being a woman of color in a primarily not diverse industry, I wanted to have conversations about diversity and the benefits of considering diverse perspectives in design. I brought up the idea to the Principals at the firm, and they were very receptive to the idea. Since then, I’ve participated in the DEI Committee, and am currently working on reframing the onboarding experience to create a welcoming introduction to the firm.

Thanks Rikita!