Since graduating from university with a BSc in Architectural Engineering, I have been working abroad on a variety of projects including private residential projects, major urban developments and office buildings. I moved to the UK in 2003 considered a major challenge in my architectural career, because I had  to overcome not only the usual barrier of developing a foreign language but also the very detailed technical aspects of an architectural job, which are generally quite different from those which apply in my home country, such as environmental issues and statuary requirements. I therefore enrolled on an extensive two years full time building/construction course at Warrington Collegiate where through shear hard work I managed to win a few prizes for being:

The Best Improved Student on the National Certificate in Construction Course 2004
The Only Student Who Successfully Completed the HNC Building Studies Course over 1 year (Warrington Guardian 2005)’
And finally a case study published in the college brochure 2006 for marketing.

I started my job as an Architectural Assistant at Stephen D Buxton & Associates (Chartered Building Surveyors), being a small practice but with large portfolio of projects and services, I gained the knowledge and confidence in design and project management. My duties in the office included preparing feasibility designs in 2D and 3D (CAD, CGI Computer Generated Image, walk-through), prepare and submit planning applications, prepare tender documents and manage projects on site.

Throughout the past couple of years, I have made few enquiries to be enrolled with a professional organisation to progress my career recognition. Bearing in mind my earlier overseas qualification and with the ambition of becoming a Chartered Architectural Technologist and how specifically working with the science of architecture and buildings. I concluded that my qualifications would suit CIAT membership more than others. I joined CIAT as an Associate member in November 2008 and immediately started working on the Architectural Technician POP Record. It took me approximately no more than two hours a week (over six months) to prepare the required information, which is to basically map the duties I carry out in my role in practice against the Architectural Technician POP Record set of criteria in both knowledge (general knowledge on the topic) and performance (applying that knowledge on projects). I submitted my Architectural Technician POP Record Results Schedule followed by the sample of my Architectural Technician POP Record units (four units were requested).

I asked Stephen Buxton FRICS to act as my Supervisor as he is fully aware of the responsibilities I hold in the office, mainly because during that period, I worked directly with him when I designed the company brochure and he was extremely happy with the level of my presentation skills.

I would strongly recommend to anyone willing to develop their career in architecture to progress their membership with CIAT, as I believe it is the ultimate recognition in Architectural Technology in the UK and globally. I am currently working on my Chartered Architectural Technologist POP Record to become a Chartered Member in 2010, achieving this will give me the required knowledge and confidence in my profession and certainly will open new doors in the future.