#SDLivingTheDream,
Dylan Weber Callahan:
Learning the Importance of Collaboration
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Today we begin a new series on the Solar Decathlon blog, #SDLivingTheDream, highlighting alumni of both the Build Challenge and Design Challenge and how their time in the competition has shaped their careers and their lives. First up, we talk to Dylan Weber Callahan, who competed in the most recent Build Challenge and has already parlayed that experience into a great design job with HOK.
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Name: Dylan Weber Callahan
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: Solar Decathlon 2017 in Denver, CO
University team: Washington University in St. Louis
Current organization / employer: HOK (New York office)
Current role: Design Professional
How did participation in the Solar Decathlon affect the trajectory of your career?
Participating in the Solar Decathlon has given me a better understanding about the importance of collaboration on any given project. It exposed me to other areas of the AEC industry that I wasn’t so familiar with, helping me to better understand the various trades that work together in our profession. That experience has already proven beneficial, even so early on in my career. Those skills I acquired have broadened my knowledge of our field and enabled me to have informed conversations with stakeholders from across the AEC industry in my day-to-day work at HOK.
Dylan Weber Callahan working with the Washington University in St. Louis team during construction at the 2017 Solar Decathlon.
Describe a work outcome, building project or other achievement you are most proud of and how (if) it relates to your experience with Solar Decathlon.
As a result of participating in the Solar Decathlon, I have been able to better adapt and contribute when working on a variety of projects in different roles at HOK. This flexibility has allowed me to work on multiple project types, scales, and scopes of work, including the new Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport and a World Trade Center infrastructure project, as well as multiple lab buildings and hospitality projects. These opportunities correlate to the exposure I had in both design and construction while participating in the competition.
These three renderings courtesy of HOK:
Two hospitality design projects Dylan Weber Callahan
has worked on, as well as the new Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport (bottom photo).
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Tags: #SDLivingTheDream, Alumni, Profiles, Solar Decathlon 2017, Washington University in St. Louis