Koyi Yang

During my 6 months at GEAR, I contributed to 16 projects across the commercial, residential, and renovation sectors. Independently managed the Resource Consent applications for three commercial projects, including site planning, drafting design reports, and liaising with the local council to ensure full compliance with the Auckland Unitary Plan. In addition, I assisted with the conceptual design of three residential and commercial projects, conducting site research, accessibility analysis, and creating rendered images using AI plugins and Photoshop. One of the proposals, a modular courtyard layout, was adopted as the final design by the client. For the remaining 10 projects, I supported the main designer in the Building Consent phase by contributing to construction drawings, H1 energy efficiency calculations, and document preparation, with all projects passing the initial review in a single submission. My daily tasks included completing 80% of construction modeling in Revit, refining drawing details in Archicad, and providing front desk support, responding to 3-5 client inquiries per day. I also assisted with team report preparation and document management using WPS Office and Adobe PDF tools.

At Handan City Architectural Design, I worked on school buildings, high-rise commercial complexes, and historic building renovation projects. I assisted senior designers with Revit modeling and concept refinement using SketchUp. Additionally, I created 3D renderings with Lumion for government presentations. This experience enhanced my understanding of Chinese building regulations, particularly concerning fire and structural safety, and improved my cross-cultural collaboration skills.

While pursuing my architectural degree, I worked part-time at Placemaker in sales and customer support. I analyzed customer purchasing needs, including building material specifications and construction timelines, and provided suggestions to optimize product displays, improving traffic in the building materials section. I also assisted with translating technical documents between English and Mandarin, helping non-English-speaking clients understand product specifications. This role honed my ability to convert technical jargon into accessible language, improving my communication and problem-solving skills.

After completing high school, I worked as a construction laborer on two residential buildings, focusing on foundation pouring and material management. I gained hands-on experience with NZS 3604 standards for light timber framing and provided feedback on potential issues with the construction drawings. This experience helped me develop a practical, problem-solving approach to design and construction.

During high school, I worked at William Souter Espresso, responsible for beverage and dessert preparation, customer service, and seasonal decor design. This role enhanced my ability to manage multiple tasks under pressure, respond quickly to client needs, and optimize work processes. It also helped me build time management and problem-solving skills, which are valuable for managing architectural projects.