OpenLab Mentor Quotes

Hear from the OpenLAB Mentors

Nearly 50 members of the firm participate in the OpenLAB, serving as mentors, design critics and lecturers, offering feedback and knowledge sharing throughout the process. As we enter our 4^th year, a few of our mentors reflect on what this course means to us.

Susan Blomquist, AIA, ACHA, NOMA, LEED AP / Principal

Serving as a mentor for the OpenLab studios was really a unique opportunity to experience a tangible link between professional practice and academia. It was truly a mutually beneficial engagement to mentor these students on their projects while being inspired by their boundless creativity. I’ve continued to stay in touch with students from the studio as they embark upon the post-graduate phase of their lives.  The students’ presence in the office brings a creative buzz that reminds all of us to continue to approach our design work with curiosity and inquiry.

Jessica Jorge, AIA, LEED AP / Associate

The OpenLAB students are thrown into a new city, a new studio space, and a new design problem all at once. As a studio mentor, I saw firsthand how well they seized this unique opportunity and took full advantage of the resources the office and the city provide.

Being a mentor was a wonderful contrast to my regular project work and gave me an opportunity to stretch different architectural muscles. My mentees were always eager to discuss their project parti, the merits of different model materials, or pragmatic best practices of egress routes. Throughout the semester, they embraced the opportunity to talk to Architects, Principals, the Fabrication team, the Building Science group and more. Their enthusiasm and hard work paid off in a well-conceived and represented final project that I hope they are proud to include in their portfolio.

Whether at impromptu check-ins, weekly desk crits, or more formal pin-ups, it was a pleasure to see my mentees grow as designers and develop their ability to articulate, through image and words, a spatial idea.

Shaun Morris, AIA, LEED AP / Senior Associate 

Working with the students as a mentor this year has been one of the most rewarding highlights of my career. Having previously taught studio in a more traditional academic setting, I witnessed in this program the profound impact of bridging academic knowledge with real-world context, creating a dynamic learning experience that goes beyond traditional classroom settings. Students gain invaluable insights into the architectural process, developing essential skills in design thinking, collaboration and problem-solving. This immersive experience allows them to connect theoretical concepts with practical applications, enhancing their understanding of the complexities involved in the profession.

The students were positively beaming with excitement and brought positive energy to the office like a shot of adrenaline. Students bring fresh perspectives, enthusiasm and contemporary ideas to the office, challenging established norms and inspiring innovation. Meanwhile, our firm gained the opportunity to shape the next generation of architects, ensuring their evolving needs and values are reflected in the education they receive. By embracing this synthesis of academic and practical experience, we can redefine architectural education, ensuring that it is not only relevant but also dynamic, responsive and deeply engaged with the realities embedded in the field of Architecture.

Sarah Radding, AIA, LEED Green Assoc. / Senior Associate

I found it so rewarding to break from the fast pace of construction-phase project work to focus on the fundamentals of design rigor, idea generation and collaboration. Helping the students to interrogate and refine their concepts, to wrestle with program and collaboration, and to learn more about themselves in the process was very satisfying. More broadly, I find the program to be meaningful for how it bridges the gap between the academy and the profession and for the immersive, supportive environment it cultivates for the students. We also get much in return: it keeps us in rigorous design shape and recharges our creative batteries.

Mark Scott, AIA, LEED AP / Associate Principal

Since 2021, I have been involved with the OpenLAB program in multiple roles – as a lecturer, a studio critic, team advisor and observer. Because the students are embedded directly in the studio with their own desks side-by-side with PAYETTE staff, we all experience the energy and curiosity they bring to the office whether or not we are directly involved with the program and they, in turn, start to understand the rhythm and feel of the office culture and ongoing work.

The most intensive and rewarding role was as a team advisor – providing direct, ongoing feedback to a group of three students as they navigated a challenging project, new skills and team dynamics throughout the semester. The program is designed to push the students to think about design, documentation and craft in entirely new ways and at times the students struggled with novel concepts. But what struck me most about the unique configuration of this studio is that the students were able to draw from an incredibly rich pool of talented designers and architects outside of their classmates to find answers and inspiration. Although I was the day-to-day advisor for the team, they frequently connected with the PAYETTE people around them to test ideas, ask questions and receive support. The quality and precision of the team’s thought and execution made leaps in quality over the course of a few short months. More than anything, I was inspired by their dedication to making the most of this opportunity; they poured their hearts into the work and were rewarded with truly incredible results.

Lucia Valentin / Senior Associate

The OpenLAB Studio injects energy and creativity to the office. Architecture is constantly evolving, and having a course embedded in our practice is an opportunity to revisit our assumptions, not only through the design explorations of the students but through dialogue and discussion. The outcomes are always fascinating, always different, always new.

Teaching is a constant exercise in communication, how do we help the students’ vision evolve and transform into realization? What can we do to inspire the students in their pursuit? It challenges us to think through the ‘whys’, the ‘what ifs’, the testing and the trying, and elevates the conversations we are having around architecture and design.

The studio environment bridges the gap between practice and academia, where we all inevitably feel the ripples of each other’s presence. It is invaluable to have the opportunity to mentor young talent and for the students to establish relationships with the broader architecture community.

Xuancheng Zhu / Associate

I have always been interested in teaching ever since one of my professors told me I would be good at it. I believe that the beauty of making architecture stems from the discussions, arguments and hybrid perspectives and authorship. 

The OpenLAB studio sets up a wonderful studio environment that includes varied levels of professional experience, culture, social and educational backgrounds. The incorporation of engines including Fabrication and Building Science in our practice makes OpenLAB more comprehensive and powerful for all the students and mentors. 

The OpenLAB projects broaden the thinking of different architectural typologies including residential, community center, library and farm facilities in our practice. 

The ongoing discussions with my students refreshes my way of thinking in practice and brings energy and inspiration to the office. I genuinely enjoyed the interaction with my two students, and I was highly impressed by their work ethic, curiosities and growth throughout the course of the semester. And their success with their studio project and the friendships we built during the semester are incredibly rewarding to me.