In September 2020 I began my work placement at Whitworth as an Architectural Assistant, due to the restrictions in the Covid pandemic there was restrictions throughout the duration of the year that limited my involvement with projects.
Although the year had some challenges along the way, the people at Whitworth always made me feel welcome and introduced me to the stages of RIBA Plan of Work.
Throughout the year I had the opportunity to primarily focus on the first 5 stages of design; Strategic definition, preparation & briefing, concept design, spatial coordination and technical design. In this post I will be documenting the highlights from each stage and skills learnt.
Stage 0: Strategic Definition
I occasionally had the opportunity to attend initial site meetings with an experienced member of the team. Below are some of the photos from the initial visits. When we returned to visit at a later date, we took a wider range of photographs that focused on key aspects of the project.
Stage 1: Preparation and Briefing
One of my main roles during the year was to assist on measured surveys and putting together the existing drawings, these drawings were assembled on AutoCAD.
Stage 2: Concept Design
Another primary role that I had, was to draw up proposals for projects on AutoCAD and occasionally model the proposed design on SketchUp and Vectorworks for clients to have a clear understanding of the space.
Stage 3: Spatial Coordination
A significant role while working in the office was to work with the lead architect to complete design and access statements & planning applications.
Stage 4: Technical Design
Once the proposed design was established, I often developed technical designs which were sent to site, alongside the existing & proposed drawings.
Stage 5: Manufacturing & Construction
As things with the Covid pandemic gradually improved in 2021, I was able to attend site visits during construction to learn about the process and the quality checks needed for stage 5.