To put a few words together of one’s career is extremely difficult.  Where does one begin? When you have qualified or when the interest hits you between the eyes that this is the trade or profession you want to follow until you retire?

Well if it is the latter it is when I was working as a materials surveyor for Mowlems System Building back in the mid-sixties (that is the 20th century – not 19th).

I got into a heavy debate with an architect who was expecting us to build from drawings that ‘chocolate fireguard’ immediately comes to mind. The trouble was that I produced some rough sketches of what I thought they required – these were subsequently accepted – and then blow me down with a feather they offered me an opening into the big wide world (mysterious world) of ‘architecture’.

Fortunately the practice, Archer Boxer Partners in Hatfield, must have seen something in me that they could nurture. I continued my studies at the Hertfordshire College of Building in St Albans from where I accomplished and achieved my HNC in Building with supplementary subjects in architecture (or whatever it was called).

Again I was fortunate enough to always be involved as a lead Architectural Technician in most of the projects I worked on.

My first venture in architecture was re-vamping Keymarket Supermarkets. My line manager was an artist and taught me how to use pen thicknesses – not many CAD users can appreciate this important aspect in draughting – back to the drawing board for some eh!!

The largest project I was involved with was the West Swindon Shopping Centre. How to interpret an architect’s vision into reality.  Once a contractor had been appointed it came to agreeing the setting out of the building in a ‘green’ field. Get on site, site agent says this is the setting out point; you look around this point in the middle of a field and quietly agree that it had been accurately set out. Yeah alright, without expert knowledge in using sophisticated setting out equipment how the hell does one know that this point in the middle of an open field (of many acres – sorry hectares) has been accurately set out? This ended up as a superb project with some extremely interesting technical detailing. Worth a visit some 20 odd years on from whence it was built.

Once educated to the high standards one would expect out of St Albans the big wide world opened up. I switched between practices to gain a wide band of knowledge.

I was asked to comment on projects that I had worked on. Not everyone has the opportunity to work on esteem, prominent building projects. Mundane keeps bread on plate. The occasional project with variable interest would come along but too few to mention.

The late 80’s (again 20th century) saw a major downturn in projects – money for development was not available. Major redundancies led to reductions of up to half of the staff loosing their jobs. Where do you go – what do you do?

Again fortune shines on the righteousness. Fortunately I had foreseen the inevitable and sent my curriculum vitae to several agencies. This was a major changing point in my working life. I was offered a two month contract surveying holes for fire protection on the Glaxo site in Stevenage. This two months ended up three and a half years working on the same sight. I learnt as much about passive fire protection as anyone could in a very short time. I ended up working for the passive fire protection company.

What an adventure this was. I have worked as designer, cost control, site manager on several of the nuclear power stations around our coastline. It introduced me to rigorous health and safety requirements which has opened my eyes to the importance of CDM in architecture. Great period of my life as I thought my life in the building industry was rapidly coming to an end.

Now approaching the ripe old age of 60, I have been given the opportunity to re-kindle the flame and now work for Vincent and Gorbing (fourth time around) as an Architectural Technologist with responsibilities on some major projects. The most beneficial aspect of my working life at present is, hopefully, I can guide and assist the younger element in our profession – they are the future.