Visual Computational Storytelling Intern - Buildings (Summer 2026)

Stantec • Houston, TX

1d

About The Position

Your Opportunity: We are seeking a research and design intern with sharp computational skills and a strong interest in cultural storytelling, computational design, and architectural materiality—someone who can help uncover patterns and characteristics embedded in Indigenous knowledge systems, cultural practices, and material traditions across different regions. The ideal candidate will work with the data amassed by the PILAT team, identifying meaningful ways to translate site-specific insights into spatial expressions. These expressions should evoke the presence and history of Indigenous communities in thoughtful, non-appropriative ways—offering design cues that are culturally respectful, contextually grounded, and educationally impactful. The work involves: Analyzing Indigenous data for recurring themes, symbols, material systems, and ecological knowledge; Exploring strategies for representing these insights through form, texture, or spatial organization; Defining design rules or logics that can be translated into parametric scripts (e.g., using Grasshopper or similar); Prototyping the story telling parametric design tool; Investigating the use of AI-driven tools that, when combined with these rule sets, could automatically generate context-sensitive material or formal responses based on the cultural history of a site. Ultimately, this internship aims to advance a methodology for culturally attuned, data-informed design—one that contributes meaningfully to both the architecture profession and broader educational conversations about place, identity, and memory.

Requirements

• Rule Definition & Parametric Design: Proven ability to translate raw data into explicit design rules—mapping patterns to forms, materials, textures, and spatial logics—and implement those rules in Grasshopper (or equivalent) and scripting (Python, C#, etc.).
• Visual & Textual Research: Strong research and analytical skills for uncovering themes, symbols, and ecological insights within Indigenous knowledge systems.
• Cultural Sensitivity & Ethics: Deep respect for Indigenous perspectives; skill in crafting non-appropriative, site-responsive narratives that honor cultural contexts.
• Communication & Storytelling: Excellent written, verbal, and visual storytelling—able to document methodologies, present findings, and articulate design narratives with clarity and nuance.

Nice To Haves

• Background in bioregional materials or sustainable design principles.
• Prior community engagement or cultural storytelling projects.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and interpret Indigenous knowledge and site-specific cultural data gathered via PILAT.
• Identify symbolic, material, ecological, or spatial patterns across different Indigenous contexts.
• Explore ways to translate these patterns into architectural form, texture, or material language.
• Support the development of rule sets that can be translated in scripts and parametric modeling, generative design, and simulation workflows for storytelling purposes.
• Investigate the use of AI or machine learning tools to support culturally-driven design automation.
• Document findings and present them in visually compelling, critically aware formats.
• Collaborate with designers, researchers, and Indigenous consultants in an iterative process.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern