Five minutes with… Scott

Our Part 1 Architectural Assistant, Scott, joined the team in October last year and is working with us part time whilst completing his Part 2 at the University of Brighton.

We’ve taken five minutes to ask him a bit more about his background and what he thinks about his career so far.

Can you remember what first made you want to become an architect?

I vividly remember drawing a perspective of a street when I was about nine years old. Actually, my mum still has the drawing pinned on her fridge at home. It reminds me how long I’ve had an interest in buildings, drawing and graphic design.

And is your architecture career turning out how you imagined it would?

My first two jobs felt a bit like a litmus test for working in the built environment. I worked for a small architectural firm after my first year of studies and then as a CAD technician for an NHS trusts Capital Development team.

I have to say I wasn’t entirely convinced after those experiences but I’m really glad I kept with it. Working at Mohsin Cooper has shown me that architecture is exactly what I pictured it would be like, and, thankfully, exactly what I want to be doing.

I have such variety in my work, site visits, surveys, CAD drawings, client meetings. I love it.

A street perspective, by Scott aged nine

Can you remember your very first design project and what did you learn from it?

I worked closely with Nathan on a scheme for three houses in Wimbledon. I remember colouring the doors on the coloured elevations in red, green and blue, inadvertently giving the effect of a children’s tv show set.

Nathan politely suggested that we just keep them white. We still joke about it now.

Beyond that important lesson, the project taught me heaps about the design process and the ins and outs of the later RIBA stages.

What is your favourite sort of project to get your hands into?

I’m enjoying working on the more detailed projects and am learning a lot from Adrian and Nathan, particularly about the technical aspects needed for building control. One of our latest design projects is for a new build, low energy house in Sussex, near Lewes, so that’s a bit different and another opportunity to build on my learning, particularly in terms of detailed design.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

On the first day of my undergraduate degree the lecturer said that architecture is just about solving problems. You solve one problem, and then you move onto the next.

My experience already shows me it’s true. We find solutions for tight sites, design within the limits of planning constraints and help achieve our client’s expectations. We’re problem solvers.

What do you do for fun?

Football takes up a lot of my time: I play football semi-professionally for Shoreham FC.

I recently organised a football friendly between Mohsin Cooper and QED Structures, which was a lot of fun, so hopefully it’s the start of a new tradition. Oh, and did I mention? We won 11-8.