Garvin Design Group is proud of our tight-knit team. Interested in joining our studio? Here are seven things to know about a GDG internship.

1. Our portfolio is highly varied.

We are an architecture, interiors, and planning firm with expertise in design for higher education, adaptive reuse, hospitality, and various commercial uses. Our project portfolio includes collegiate athletics, hotels, restaurants, apartments, offices, event venues, performance spaces, and churches. We work all over the state of South Carolina – and sometimes a little bit further afield.

2. You’ll gain all kinds of skills while you’re here.

Garvin Design Group interns and new hires hone technical skills in REVIT, Adobe Design Suite, ProCore, and PlanGrid. They also practice key soft skills in collaboration, critical thinking, time management, and client interface.

New GDG teammates hit the ground running: from their first days in our firm, new teammates are involved in all aspects of ongoing projects. Our interns learn about construction details, make site visits, help complete punch lists, and meet with engineers and clients. Rather than relegate them to busy work and menial tasks, Garvin Design Group involves interns in design conversations throughout the life of a project. Our small studio size and the number of our varied projects create opportunities for those early in your career.

3. We’ll help you transition seamlessly from school to professional practice.

Garvin Design Group’s approach to meaningful mentorships defines the internship experience. GDG mentors are prepared to help new teammates with everything from navigating our internal software and processes, to implementing new REVIT skills, to finding the best lunch spot in the neighborhood. GDG mentors help you feel both effective and comfortable as a member of our team. In 2019, the American Institute of Architects – South Carolina (AIA SC) recognized our firm’s outstanding teaching atmosphere through its prestigious Firm Award.

We are proud to provide a vibrant environment for new professionals to confidently tackle design challenges supported by mentors who champion their creativity, growth, and ambition.

4. No two days are the same at GDG.

There’s no such thing as a “typical” day at GDG – we love that the variety of our project types, locations, and design timelines make every day unique. Your task list may alternately include: designing floor plans, meeting with clients and/or a project design team, adding furniture to existing plans, creating renderings, implementing design in existing drawings, and compiling presentations.

5. We’ll help you on your path to licensure.

We’re intentional about making sure interns and new hires work on a wide array of different projects in various phases. This ensures everyone gets experience in all six NCARB practiced-based AXP categories for licensure.

6. You’ll get big firm resources with small firm camaraderie.

You can get great technical experience at many firms, but you won’t find a studio culture like ours anywhere else. We all do our best work when we champion causes we believe in, support our community, invest in our team, and have fun doing it. Our commitment to these values keeps us focused on what really matters: making a positive impact by doing what we love.

We take pride in living out the “work hard, play hard” philosophy.  We know you’re not just another aspiring architect versed in all the latest software. You’re a design collaborator, an aspiring creator, a potential new lunchtime crossword puzzler, and maybe a master of pun-slinging.  As an intern, you are truly part of our firm’s work and our firm’s culture, including our outings – this includes our annual, weekend-long firm retreat in Charleston.

7. Our search for summer interns starts early in the year.

We start looking for summer interns in January and February. We look for students who are excited about our work and our culture and are ready to jump in to ongoing projects with gusto. Our interns get started in our office in late spring and early summer. Be sure to reach out to us early in the year!