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Architect: Mark

This Case Study belongs to Architect.

Mark has a BA in Architecture and is an architect with a London-based private sector firm of architects. 

After completing my BA in Architecture I went to Hong Kong to work on schools and hotels in Hong Kong and South China, before moving back to England to build a rural house with my brother. I find it’s common for architecture students to take a number of years out working during their education. It helps to build relationships with practices and allows you to experience different kinds of working environments.

I then went back to study for my Part 2 examinations and, as part of my Diploma in Architecture, carried out some research into CAD/CAM manufacturing processes which led me to work alongside a small architectural practice.

When I graduated, the practice had won a number of residential jobs and asked me to join them, which I was delighted to do. I learned a huge amount from working in a small practice, from generating work to detailing and delivering the buildings on site, as well as how to run a small business. It gave me a picture of the job in its entirety and was an education in itself.

To sit your final profession exams you need a case study, and a smaller practice was able to provide a case study of a manageable size with me as the sole project architect, giving me important ‘on site’ experience.

After two years I left the firm to join my current employer, a large internationally-renowned practice, famous for its innovative approach to design.

Having experienced an architectural practice at one scale, it is completely invigorating to see how an operation of a completely different size is run, as well as being exposed to some of the most high-profile developments in the world.

My degree was very relevant in securing my current job. Architectural degrees are quite vocational, although people can also come from engineering or interior backgrounds. A typical working day can involve working on one or several projects, with tasks being governed by the stage of the project. I might be doing anything from sketching views and layouts, undertaking detailed CAD design in 2D and 3D, formatting documents for clients/planning committees, meeting consultants to discuss projects to visiting projects on site.

Looking back, there didn’t seem to be a ‘eureka’ moment when I suddenly knew I could design. You are constantly acquiring new skills with every designer and consultant you work with, and long may it continue that way!

What I enjoy about my job is the huge variety, from working with clients designing individual living spaces, designing external environmental spaces, to consulting with a council about some public space they would like to develop. You are in a creative environment where you can make, model and draw and where no idea is unimaginable!

Case Study sourced by Nick Huston of AGCAS, 22 January 2010.