Elice Catmull

I have worked at Robin Partington Architects for almost a year now. The practice was founded in October 2009 and being a part of a new team was an exciting prospect for me - everybody involved was brimming with enthusiasm.

My first 6 months were spent dabbling in various projects, allowing me to experience the scope of projects in the office and develop my CAD, graphic and model making ability. The first project I worked on was a hotel complex in Cambridge. As well as assisting with putting together drawings and documents for a planning application, I created foam models of various roof options to observe how the building would fit in the surrounding area.

I have recently been working on a project to regenerate Shepherd’s Bush Market. Working on something for a longer period has been invaluable, enabling me to better understand a project in its entirety. I have been involved in a variety of tasks, including a study of the existing market stalls, drawing residential layouts and making design development models. I also had the opportunity to attend a public exhibition with local residents and market traders – it was really interesting to see how the design is kneaded by the input of so many different people.

Reflecting on my experience, I feel the role of architecture graduates extends further than supporting production in offices. I have tried to learn from everything, and through doing so hopefully motivated and encouraged the team to discuss new and interesting ideas. Having now had two years out after my Part 1, I am returning to university this September. I took the extra year to gain confidence and learn new skills to apply to my Part 2, and am very much looking forward to applying what I've learnt in industry.

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