After achieving a distinction at the University of Edinburgh, I relocated to London to pursue a diverse range of project opportunities. Currently, I hold the position of Senior Architect at Ben Adams Architects, where I have acquired significant expertise in both residential and commercial architecture. My passion lies in creating spaces that play on the relationship between the indoors and outdoors, a design approach that has been shaped by my experiences in Scandinavia and a short exchange programme in Japan. I have worked on a broad range of projects, including exhibition design, high- end private residential, restaurants and office refurbishments. I enjoy the challenge of balancing structure, light, and materiality to create compelling and cohesive design, particularly when working with historic or existing buildings.

Throughout my childhood, I was encouraged to pursue my artistic talents and creativity. My inquisitive nature and appreciation particularly for historical buildings, zoo enclosure design and the urban fabric fuelled my interest in architecture. The industry offered a structured way for me to express my visual skills whilst its diverse applications in society, including its potential to address social, economic and environmental factors, enticed me to pursue a career in the field.

I am an identical twin! My sister, Ali works as a Landscape Architect so it’s wonderful having a shared wealth of knowledge and skills in each discipline. She’s also part of She Builds UK!

My skills are in co-ordinating large, complex amounts of information, from a range of consultants, requires excellent listening skills and patience in working through a design methodically. It is in this area of work, I find the most reward, and I am able to bring my analytical thinking, problem solving skills and general ‘can do’ attitude to achieve the desired design approach.

Overall, my experience within the construction industry has been positive. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that women often face a significant gender pay gap, and encounter slower career advancement rates within their field. This can be attributed, in part, to the demanding work schedule, which is not always conducive to balancing family responsibilities leading some women to have to take time away from their careers and/or rely on their partners for support. Additionally, many women face instances of sexism, of which I too, have experienced in the past. Whilst such instances are often isolated, recognising and addressing these issues can require assertive communication skills.

Within construction, the hours of work are often long, stressful and demanding. To flourish in this industry, it is essential to have a passion for it. Careers in construction typically require working in multidisciplinary teams, emphasising the need for excellent communication skills, both in one-to-one client interactions and large team collaborations.

Acquiring work experience across a diverse range of practices within the industry is highly beneficial to determine the most fitting career path. The industry is expansive, providing a vast variety of choices. Therefore, identifying where your skills and interests align, is crucial in finding the best fit.