Ryan Barnette

How did you find your current job?
I actually found my current job through another alumni who graduated the year before I did! She posted on PennDesign Collective (the Facebook group: an amazing resource!) and I immediately reached out to her.

What kind of work are you doing?
I’m working on a wide range of project types located in various states across the US. Currently, a national pavilion, a theater renovation, an outdoor concert venue, and a private residence.

What attracted you to the firm or job?
I actually became familiar with the work of the office during my undergraduate studies. When I saw that they had a posting in their New York office, I immediately reached out to the Penn alumni who works in their New Orleans office!

How did your education at PennDesign prepare you for your current tasks?
The office has a diverse portfolio, and also really strives to integrate cutting edge technologies in their projects and practice. From my own experience at Penn, I felt that I was most adequately equipped with having the skills to work on very diverse project types and scales (from a small residence, to a large urban project), and I believe the education also put me at the forefront of contemporary and forward thinking in architectural design, which I've found that the office strives towards.

Are there specific courses and instructors that influenced you philosophically?
This is really tough to answer concisely. It is challenging to think of a singular course or instructor that didn't in some way challenge me or have a positive effect on the way I think about the constructed environment. However, if I had to pick a few, I would say that from the core curriculum, I really enjoyed the Visual Studies sequence taught by Nate Hume. Who - not surprisingly - I ended up asking to be my thesis adviser in my third year (a master's thesis is optional but I would highly recommend if you have the personal drive)! I also really enjoyed taking Ferda Kolatan's 701 studio. And any electives that reached outside of architecture in order to approach it from a different perspective (such a Cinema & Architecture in Translation with Danielle Willems and Nicholas Klein, and also the Function of Fashion in Architecture with Danielle Willems).

Any top moment(s) of your education here?
Also really tough to answer! I would say that being awarded the Faculty Prize upon graduating was a top moment, and a totally unexpected surprise! But during the 3 years, getting the opportunity to travel would probably also be in the top moments, aside from any experience within a classroom setting. I was able to spend 5 weeks in France, 9 days in Egypt, and about 36 hours in Italy for the Venice Biennale, which PennDesign was actually a participant in that year.

What’s next?
Well, for now, I will be teaching in the upcoming Fall Semester as a Part-Time Lecturer in the third year graduate design studio. Getting the opportunity to work in an office in New York - and teach in Philly - is super exciting, and keeps things interesting in both worlds. I hope to always be closely involved with both academia, and practice simultaneously.

Are you keeping in touch with others from your class/the Penn community?
Yes! This is super important, if you didn’t already see from the above answer of how I found my current position. Architecture is a small world. Staying in touch with your friends and colleagues is so important, and really rewarding in unexpected ways. I’ve made an effort to stay in touch with every classmate, professor, coworker and boss I’ve ever had. You never know when when a new opportunity will come up!

Any words of advice for prospective students?
Three years may seem like a long time, but it goes by very fast when you’re enjoying what you’re doing. So make the most of it! It's an important three years that will help shape the way you think for the rest of your career moving forward, so make the choice that feels right for you!