This was the title of a paper by Dan Cruikshank about the repair of historic buildings published in the 80’s. Today, our ability to adapt and survive is more about who we chose to work for and what motivates us to provide the services that we are instructed to deliver.
This month has been all about finishing off existing projects and starting new ones and in some cases revisiting projects which were built during the pandemic.
It is so hard for architecture students to find work in their year out. In the old days it was a case of who you knew and you could easily get a placement.
Two applications were submitted for listed building consent at the beginning of 2025 which is the monthly average for the practice. The next two are currently in the production line.
This week the practice has been awarded one new project and another is moving into a new phase of detailed design. On the downside site visits have been curtailed by extensive flooding and when I did actually get to site I was surveying in Siberian weather conditions.
A wide range of activities took place this week with visits to new and existing projects, and en route two Grade I listed parish churches.
The office is buzzing with exciting new projects – three surveys and one additional enquiry this week alone. It is a great privilege to be joined by daughter No 2 as a part-time assistant which is a fruitful partnership, bringing interior design skills to the practice and Vector Works.
The run up to Christmas is always a busy time, juggling the existing projects with the avalanche of new enquiries.
This week has seen the very swift turn around of two projects both in pre-app status, one in Dorset and the other in Somerset.
The pressure is on now that there are only three weeks to Christmas.