Rudolf De Guzman - Al-Terra

Edmonton
Team member since 2022

Department
Urban Design and Renewal

What is your favourite thing about working at Al-Terra?
The friendly environment. When I started my career in Al-Terra, I was nervous because of my minimal experience in urban design and renewal. On my first day, the Urban Design and Renewal team treated me to a meal for brief introductions and socializing which I thought was great to immediately bond with the team. During my first year, I was struggling with urban design and renewal because of my limited experience but I really appreciate my supervisors for being approachable with all the questions I had and guiding me on the right path during the learning process.

What has been your favourite social event at Al-Terra?
It would definitely be the Annual Al-Terra Christmas Party! One of Al-Terra's core values is "Work Hard and Play Harder" and it definitely shows during the Christmas Party. The Christmas Party is one of the nights when all of the staff can relax, enjoy great food and drinks, and socialize with co-workers from Edmonton and Calgary.

What is your favourite thing about your career or industry?
Seeing projects come to life has been the most favourite part of my career. From being involved in the design process in CAD to seeing the final project fully constructed; it's incredibly fulfilling. I can envision how these projects transform the appearance of a neighborhood and how much the residents appreciate the improvements.

I joined Al-Terra as a Civil Design Technologist-in-Training in 2022. I am involved in city neighbourhood renewal and urban transportation projects such as Pleasantview Neighbourhood Renewal, Boyle and McCauley Neighbourhood Renewal and Active Transportation in 102 Avenue, 106 Street and Fort Road. In neighbourhood renewal, I focus on field design and project coordination. In urban transportation, I am involved on sightline analysis, cost estimates, and drafting in Active Transportation projects. My career in Al-Terra has been great with plenty of learning opportunities and great supervisors to mentor me.

I graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Edmonton, Alberta with a diploma in Civil Engineering Technology in 2019. After I graduated, I started working for Pals Geomatics Corp. as a Survey Assistant focusing on legal survey and grading survey on developing neighbourhoods around Edmonton and nearby cities. As my career progressed, I garnered experience in surveying, project coordination and drafting which has significantly benefitted me.

I took interest in urban design while working on developing neighbourhoods around Edmonton and travelling to other urbanized cities. I always find myself comparing neighbourhoods in Edmonton on how significantly greener one neighbourhood is to another and the difference in the number of people walking and wheeling in the neighbourhood. My experiences while travelling in Metro Vancouver and Los Angeles is filled with memories of taking advantage of active transportation to explore cities rather than using a vehicle. This has led me to the decision that I wanted to be involved in a design role with urban design focus.