Design in Action

2018 DIA participant Tyler Johnson

Design in Action pairs Washington, DC 11th and 12th grade high school students with top architecture firms.  Students shadow architects during their spring break on construction site visits, in design and client meetings, and more. Students also have the opportunity to work on their own design project.

About the Program

Design in Action introduces students to architecture as a career. This unparallel immersive experience provides an inside look at daily life in the architecture profession, in working studios around Washington, DC. Students will have a chance to participate in a variety of roles including:

  • Project and design sessions
  • Design charrettes
  • Client meetings
  • Construction site visits

Students will work on a project where they will sketch ideas, build small study models, and receive an introduction to computer aided graphics software. 

The goal of Design in Action is to introduce high school students with an interest in design and architecture to the creativity and passion that drives accomplished professionals. By showing students what high-quality architecture can be, and by sharing the process that creates it, we hope to inspire students who would not otherwise have an opportunity to pursue their creative interests.

Design in Action provides students with insider knowledge into the architecture profession and provides them with valuable contacts that can work with them throughout their careers. Design in Action engages students on a practical level as they:

  • Practice professional and career development skills
  • Learn about a viable STEM profession, 
  • Gain professional experience to list on their resumes and college applications.

Application deadline is February 1, 2024. 

For more information about the Design in Action program please contact Heidi Sohng.

This program is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Design in Action Firms since 2012

AECOM
Array Architects
Ayers Saint Gross
Barnes Vanze Archtiects
Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners
Bowie Gridley Architects
CallisonRTKL
cox graae + spack Architects
Cunningham|Quill Architects
David M. Schwarz Architects
E/L Studio Architecture
Fentress Architects
FXFOWLE Architects, PC
Gensler
Hartman-Cox Architects
Hickok Cole Architects
HOK
Inscape Studio
ISTUDIO Architects
Jacobs Engineering Group
KGP Design Studio
KUBE architecture
Landscape Architecture Bureau
Leo A Daly
Moody Nolan
Muse Architects, PC
MV+A Architects
Perkins + Will
Perkins Eastman DC, PLLC
R2L: Architecture
Rippeteau Architects, PC
RTKL Associates, Inc.
Shalom Baranes Associates PC
Shinberg.Levinas Architects
SK&I Architecture
Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLC (SOM)
SmithGroupJJR
Smithsonian Institution/Office of Planning, Design, and Construction
Sorg Architects
STUDIO 3877
Studio Twenty Seven Architecture
STUDIOS Architecture
WDG Architecture
Wendel
Wiencek + Associates Architects + Planners
WNUK Spurlock Architecture
ZGF Architects LLP