Quackenbush Architects + Planners Announces New Intern Architect Hire

COLUMBIA, SC – May 25, 2021 – Quackenbush Architects + Planners is pleased to announce and welcome Juan Contreras to the Q+ team as a new intern architect.

"I knew from a young age I wanted to have a positive impact on my community. Over time, it increasingly felt like architecture was a way to do that."

Contreras, who grew up in St. Matthews and graduated with a degree in Architecture in 2021 from Clemson University, interned with Quackenbush in summer 2020. It was during that time he experienced how the design of a project evolves from an ongoing concept to a final design. He sat in on design team meetings, made project site visits and learned the technical aspects of construction documents.

“I felt like every day was a new experience and I was impressed with how everyone wears a different hat,” he says. “I also really felt like I had a chance to dip my hands into a lot of different areas.”

He is especially fascinated by the process of seeing how a project can breathe new life into a community. He cites Boyd Plaza renovation as an example of how a design can do this. “At Boyd Plaza, one day there will be food trucks, at another time music or an event.”