SRA Architects attend children’s careers fair
/Last week David Beckett and Jane Trentham were invited to Oldfield Park Junior School in Bath to attend the school’s first careers fair. The children were bursting with questions about architecture. Armed with our iPad, lots of pictures and a 3d model we sought to inspire a future generation of designers.
Here are some of our favourite questions from these enthusiastic young people. David provides the answers:
What’s your favourite bit of the job?
The best part of my job is when the people we are designing for really like their new building. We work hard to listen and understand what people want when they ask for our help, so it’s always great when the final result is enjoyed by others.
What was the biggest piece of architecture you've ever done?
I worked on my biggest architectural project when I lived in Australia. The Enoggera army barracks in Brisbane cost £500 million to design and build. It involved designing lots of interesting buildings over a very large area.
What is the trickiest part of being an architect?
Architects must be able think about lots of different things all at the same time. We start by using our imagination; we ask 'what could that space look like one day?' Then we must think about all the details because we need to make sure our designs will fit together and work. Architects have to be good problems solvers; we must come up with brilliant creative solutions all the time, right up to when the building is finished.
Is your job fun?
I really enjoy being an architect. I get to work with some great people. We make sure we work hard and have fun. For example, at Christmas we might do our gingerbread building competition.
To round things up we handed the children and teachers their own architectural plans to follow. Now they can have a go at making their own gingerbread house!
Want to have a go at making one too?