Every now and then we will feature a current student at AAP NYC to get a bit of an insight into the people that make the program, their experiences and interests. Today we will be featuring Zekun (Chloe) Tong, a fourth-year B.Arch. student, currently interning at Handel Architects.
SS: What do you love most about being in NYC?
CT: Its complexity. It expands our preconceptions of what architecture should be. Previously we are taught that architecture is pure, but New York is super complex in its cityscape and design. We are also more exposed to the contradictions that you would encounter in the larger city and how architecture participates in the larger world.
SS: Tell me more about your current internship experience at Handel Architects. What are you learning? What do you feel excited or nervous about?
CT: I am learning how to work in a larger office that I hadn’t done before. Moving from a 30 person firm to a 140 person office has been a big jump. The challenges are mainly to do with how to navigate in a larger group of people with more diverse individuals. It requires a different set of soft skills and it’s a different kind of a learning curve. I also feel that larger architecture offices in NYC are overly commercial unlike firms that serve a small sector of society. In other words, firms in NYC seem to take on a more neo-liberal approach.
SS: You have about one more year at Cornell. How do you wish to spend your time? What do you wish to explore further?
CT: I would definitely give all my energy to my thesis. I want to get to know more faculty and bring my thesis to them and see their reaction and if they are interested. In general, talking about the process would help you to articulate your thoughts better.
SS: Your best NYC moment?
CT: There are too many moments… let me think… Oh! Last Friday I was at K-town with a friend for dinner and then I randomly ran into another friend that I hadn’t seen in two years. Its as though the density of the city attracts different people and brings them together.
SS: If you were to look back in time, what is one thing you would tell yourself as an incoming freshman?
CT: Look a little further than you usually do … look five years ahead instead of five hours ahead. The deadlines don’t matter as much as the bigger picture, think big.