For my 6-month coop, I have been working as a Project Manager for the construction of the University of Cicinnati’s entry in the 2007 Solar Decathlon Competition. This competition will take place in October, on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Twenty Universities from around the world will build and operate 100% solar-powered homes. Each home will have to prove it’s worth by undergoing 10 competitions, from running TV’s, dishwashers and showers, to powering an electric car. As part of my 1st year in the Masters of Architecture program, I spent six months working on the design of the house (named the [re]form house) alongside architecture, engineering and business students. I then stayed at the University for my Coop, working with a fellow architecture student, Eric Stear, as project managers. Over the past six months we have overseen construction and coordination of the project, organized volunteers, worked with contractors and businesses around the city, and have gotten our hands dirty with construction on a daily basis. In the Architectural profession, taking a project from design to completion usually spans years and involves hundreds of people. The typical coop student seldom gets the opportunity to see more than a small sliver of this process. Through this coop, I have been intimately involved in the entire process. The intense collaboration with Engineers and Business students has helped to broaden horizons, while the hands-on experience of construction has deepend my understanding of the profession. The lessons learned will stay with me throughout my career; and hopefully some of the friends will too.