This summer Skyla Leavitt had the opportunity to participate in a paid internship at PMA in our Portland office. In addition to working as an intern, Skyla is working at the University of Oregon (UO) in Portland as a Student Services Assistant. Her position at UO includes fielding emails from incoming students, organizing orientation and a field trip that the incoming class takes, and giving tours for both the architecture and historic preservation programs. Additionally, Skyla is the first and only student to pursue concurrent Masters in the Architecture and Historic Preservation programs at the UO Portland campus. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Architecture from The Ohio State University: Knowlton School of Architecture, a Masters of Architecture from the University of Oregon: College of Design in Portland, and is currently finishing her Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Oregon: College of Design in Portland. It has been a delight to have Skyla working with all levels of staff at PMA on renovation projects for existing and historic properties.

Describe something new you learned while at PMA during your internship?
I came to PMA with some professional experience in architecture and a fundamental knowledge of historic preservation. However, in the 7 years since I have started this career path, I have somehow never learned Revit, let alone how Revit is used in conjunction with an existing building. I have been developing my Revit skill-set during my internship, and I think it has been particularly helpful to learn this program through the lens of preservation, as this is how I will continue to use it throughout my career. The use of 3D laser scans and point clouds, technology I had never previously been exposed to, has not only been interesting, but also eye opening to the ways this field is effectively utilizing technology.

What have you enjoyed working on while at PMA?
I have been allowed the opportunity to partake in a variety of work in my short time at PMA, which I am very grateful for! The process of carrying out condition assessments and documenting the current state of a historic building, as well as how we might address its issues, is very satisfying to me. I have also enjoyed developing enclosure details, which has exposed me to the numerous and specific challenges architects face when working on historic buildings.

Has your internship changed your perspective on historic preservation, or working with existing resources?
I wouldn’t say my perspective has changed, rather that it has been validated. My internship has confirmed for me that I am in the right field and that I have found my niche, so to speak. I have always wanted a specialization, and new construction has never appealed the same way adaptive reuse or renovation work has. Preservation was a natural fit for me and sits well with my tendencies towards the nostalgic.

How will your internship experience influence your studies when you return to school?
When I return to school this autumn, I plan to write my Master of Science in Historic Preservation thesis about the intersection of architecture and historic preservation in practice, specifically the interdisciplinary negotiations and compromises that allow a building to maintain its historic integrity, while also achieving improved technical functionality and code compliance. I believe our ability as architects to successfully facilitate these conversations is integral to sustaining not only the physical longevity of a historic site, but also the relevance and importance it holds within the community by allowing it to serve users in new or improved capacities.

Do you have a favorite aspect about architecture or historic preservation?
I am very interested in building enclosures and how we marry modern concepts with historic practices when we make an intervention in a historic building envelope. Masonry in particular, as opposed to wood, fascinates me as it is both fragile and enduring.

BONUS: Anything fun you did in PDX this summer?
The highlights of my summer have been tubing down the Clackamas River, berry picking at Sauvie Island, attending a few concerts at the Moda Center, and hiking the Tom, Dick, and Harry Trail on a clear day when I could see Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Jefferson all at once. But I also just hang out with my cat, Olive, a lot!