Oliver MicekUnit 13 28-30 Cumming Street

Brunswick WestVictoria, 3055

+31 6 20 18 32 37 (NL)To whom it may concern,

I would like to express my keen interest in the Eric Ormond Baker Scholarship.

Receiving this scholarship would allow me to participate as an intern at the world-renowned

Dutch architecture firm MVRDV in Rotterdam. The possibility of working in this ground-

breaking architectural office is extremely exciting. If I were to receive the scholarship, I would

be able to complete the internship utilising the funds to cover my basic living expenses.

I find myself in a unique situation as I already reside in Rotterdam whilst studying for one

semester at TU-Delft as an exchange student from the University of Melbourne.

Rotterdam is a unique city, unlike elsewhere in Europe. It races to become the future city

of Europe, completely circumventing the hangover of the past. As the city was completely

destroyed during the Second World War, which caused the removal of the city centre and

has allowed the city of Rotterdam to be completely reset after 1945, leaving it void of any

connections to the past. The tragedy of war and destruction allowed the city to bounce

back as an architectural testing ground with many internationally renowned architecture

firms establishing their offices within Rotterdam: OMA, MVRDV and West 8, to name a few.

In 2016 I took a year break from my studies following the completion of my undergraduate

degree at the University of Tasmania in Launceston, and worked for Philip Lighton Architects

in Tasmania on a full-time basis. This proved to be a fantastic opportunity. Being my first job in

the field of architecture, it allowed me to work on a variety of projects. The projects included

university and school master planning, hospital redevelopments, interiors, accessibility

alterations, and new residential projects. This allowed me to understand the value of

design alternatives in material selection and building techniques that would avoid the use

of expensive materials or solutions. The experience provided me with a vital foundation as

I learnt about the pragmatics of a medium sized Tasmanian architecture firm. I enjoyed a

full fourteen months of working at Philip Lighton Architects. It enabled me to collaborate

with the project architect and an associate to gain hands-on design skills, providing me with

skills and confidence that can be applied to projects in my final two years of architecture

education at the Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne. The newly

attained skills are reflected in both my portfolio and attached academic transcript.

Throughout 2017 I worked at H2o Architects in Melbourne whilst studying for the first

year of my master’s degree. I enjoyed working at H2o as their design ethos aligns closely

with my own commitment to sustainability, timber construction, and the use of white

concrete. I gained significant insight into a multitude of different projects including large-

scale university projects, high school redevelopments and in particular a new local council

building in Lilydale, Victoria. Due to my intensive class schedule, it became difficult to

accept a higher level of responsibility as I was only able to work part-time, between two and

three days a week. Nevertheless, on my departure, I was offered the opportunity to re-join

the team following my return from overseas and with the completion of my studies.

Having completed these two valuable employment placements I feel well prepared to take

on an internship at MVRDV, an exciting and innovative architecture office based in Rotterdam.

My studies and employment within the industry has convinced me that architecture is a

lifelong endeavour of continuous education. Regardless of how qualified one may feel,

there is always the need to keep learning.

Whilst living in Rotterdam I have enjoyed the opportunity to visit many key buildings that

I had previously learnt about in history and theory lectures during my undergraduate

studies. I have followed the works of a number of well-known international firms based in

the Netherlands, with one of my favourite being MVRDV. Now that I am living and studying

here I have the opportunity to physically knock on the door and ask for an internship.

Furthermore, the last four months studying at TU-Delft has allowed me to make connections

with interns, project architects, and tutors that work at other global architecture firms in

Rotterdam. I believe these connections can lead to an internship at MVRDV.

Working with a large collective at MVRDV would allow me to be at the cutting edge of

international architecture design. This internship would allow me to work towards having

my own ideas built at full scale, or at least tested by my colleagues and exposed to “the big

picture” ideas with a tangible output.

On completion of the internship I will produce a detailed report outlining my experience,

highlighting the skills and insights I have gained, as well as indicating my imagination for

my direction into the future.

Upon returning to Melbourne I will be left with having one semester to complete my design

thesis before graduating with a Master of Architecture. Following my studies, I anticipate

living and working in Melbourne for a minimum of five years.

I look forward to sharing my newly gained experience from a semester at TU-Delft and a

6-month internship at MVRDV with future colleagues and classmates. My true passion is

architecture education. I dream of returning to the University of Melbourne and becoming

a sessional tutor in the Bachelor or Master programme, whilst continuing to work fulltime

for an architecture firm that aligns with my newly refined design ethos. My design manifesto

will become clearer once I reflect on the previous year and frame my research question for

my independent design thesis.

Without this scholarship, I would not be able to participate in an internship in Rotterdam as

they are currently reserved for students who have sponsorship or funding from other sources.

This is due to the fact that, unlike Australia, the Netherlands permits unpaid internships.

To experience firsthand how a large global architecture office operates in the Netherlands

is an opportunity of a lifetime. There is so much to learn: business development; design

documentation; and global collaboration between partnered firms, as MVRDV competes

for work across all continents.

Thank you for reading my application. Please do not hesitate to request additional material

or any more information

I eagerly await your response.

Yours truly,

Oliver Micek