2024 SWA Summer Student Program: HOUSTON IS SO HOT RIGHT NOW

2023 was the hottest year in recorded history. In Sunbelt cities, the effect was visceral and deadly, disproportionately impacting communities reliant on public transportation, public parks, and housing structures for cooling. Houston experienced 45 days of triple-digit heat in 2023, the same year the city also saw major public space transformations. In a world confronted by extreme heat, our public realm and buildings must adapt. Today’s designers and planners need to technically and ideologically rework the toolkit that created our overheated cities and neighborhoods for a more just and livable world.

SWA’s 2024 Summer Student Program will invite a select group of students to take on heat in Houston, the most diverse and fourth largest city in the U.S. Students from across the country will work alongside professional designers and community stakeholders to develop an actionable plan for Downtown Houston that weaves together open space improvements, climate adaptation strategies, and social infrastructure.

For the past 50 years, SWA’s summer student program has gathered emerging designers to explore critical contemporary design questions. Many participants have become leaders within the firm and the discipline.

We invite full-time upper level undergraduate and graduate students in planning, urban design, architecture and landscape architecture to apply. Applicants must be returning to their academic program in the 2024 school year (graduated students ineligible). Selected applicants will participate in an eight-week design and research studio in our Houston office. The Summer Student Program includes a stipend and housing.

The program will be hosted fully in-person and will include site visits, lectures, discussions, and critiques.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

• 1–Minute Introductory Video
• Letter of Interest
• Resume
• Contact information for 2–3 references
• Portfolio (Max. of 10 Pages)

Important dates:

Submission Deadline: March 1st
Date of Notification: March 11-15th
Internship Duration: June 3rd-July 26th

SWA 2024 Summer Program Location:
SWA Houston
712 Main St. 6th Floor
Houston, Texas 77002
United States

The Summer Student Program includes a stipend and housing.

#swagroup

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS ONLY!

Applicants must be currently enrolled in the 2024 school year.