My (Remote) Summer at Oculus
Annabelle Fung, a student at USC School of Architecture was Oculus’ summer intern. It was a first for Oculus, along with many other firms, to try internships remotely, and though the day to day interactions were missed, we realized that there were plenty of learning opportunities. Following is Annabelle’s account on her summer at Oculus. Here’s wishing you all the best in your upcoming endeavors, Annabelle!
Upon finishing my semester online, I was extremely grateful to have the opportunity to virtually join the Oculus cohort this summer. Working closely with the Oculus designers, I hit the ground running, wearing many hats as I dabbled in a variety of projects from mixed-use complexes to office buildings to single-family homes, designing away for interior and exterior lighting, crafting up renders, and even performing lighting calculations.
Some of my favorite moments working at Oculus have been conceptualizing and drafting lighting design ideas at the inception of the project and seeing how different types of lighting at various locations can evoke powerful moments within a larger lighting experience. I’ve enjoyed seeing how a well-lit space can infuse beauty and life into the architecture, all crafted together through the rich dialogue that is exchanged between the many voices on the Oculus team and between architects and clients. Working at Oculus has encouraged me to further evaluate the meaningful role that lighting plays in an architect’s desire to design a wonderful user experience that brings much human comfort and overall happiness in the built environment and beyond.
As the summer comes to a close, it has truly been a pleasure working with the Oculus team. With new expertise and ways of problem solving in hand, I will be returning to my fourth year in the Bachelor of Architecture program and am excited to see where my studies and endeavors in architecture will take me.
