Coral graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with BSc degree in Architecture in 2018. She then decided to spend a year travelling Europe, observing different cultures, art, design and architecture.
Some argue that travel is an indulgence, and that time and money would be better spent continuing your studies to reach your goal quicker, but we believe time out of education isn't about a 'holidaying' or ticking off all of the countries you’ve visited, it's about how the experiences, encounters and this can change you as a person for the better. As the saying goes, "travel broadens the mind".
Last month Coral joined our practice to take to next step towards becoming a fully qualified architect. She's ready to kick start the next stage of her architectural studies at university whilst developing her skills and experience working within the practice.
Read more below to get to know her better.
Over to you Coral...
I have always been interested in history, art and design, plus I love to spend time sketching. I'm fascinated by buildings from different cultures and periods of history. I think that's why I love to travel so much. It's great to see their character, craft and the story of the people who used or still do use them.
A career in Architecture offers the opportunity to continuously learn and develop a variety of skills that can then be used to help others, while incorporating my love of art, design and architecture.
Climate change and the reduction of carbon emissions is a current and ongoing global consideration, especially within building design. There is an need for urgent action to reduce carbon emissions from the construction sector and I recognised that as an architect I would have opportunity to make a difference, tackling the global climate crisis through sustainable design and construction methods.
I think that most people who chose architecture as a profession do so because they would like to change places for the better. The idea of visualising what can be achieved and then turning it into a reality it's pretty amazing. The idea of being able to design a building is really inspiring especially when ideas could be used to help people in society and contribute to saving the planet.
It has to be the environmentally led course. Social and environmental responsibility in the design and production of the built environment resonated throughout the course and echoed the university's commitment to improve our social and environmental responsibility. Design tutorials were run simultaneously with environmental and construction tutorials to ensure that we considered the environment at every stage. Although our scenarios at university weren't real projects it felt that we were engaging with real issues affecting the built environment.
I feel our team at Croft Architecture has a great mix of different personalities and experience. The open office is great, it allows us all to discuss projects openly in the office, sharing ideas and knowledge to produce successful schemes.
From the short time I've been working with the practice it is clear that Croft has built strong relationships with trusted contractors, suppliers and associates within the industry. Croft Architecture is a fresh and forward thinking practice and that's what I think makes Croft not only an exciting place to work but a company that our clients enjoy working with.
I'm currently working on a number of residential projects. I've had the opportunity to work on two HMO conversions and a number of home extensions and alterations. I've also been supporting the architects with various stages of work such as, Stage 4, Fire Safety and Access Strategies.
I particularly appreciate European architecture. From my studies and travels, I appreciate all architectural styles, techniques and architecture, historic and current. However, I do favour a more European style of Architecture. It fascinates me how different countries throughout Europe have their own architectural styles and ideas. It's great to compare the more historic and traditional builds with the modern architecture that you see today.
My personal opinion is that each design must reflect the individual project, I think it’s essential for the scheme to work in context, creating an aesthetically pleasing building that’s an enjoyable space to use and function sustainably as intended long into the future.
I’m enjoying being able to use the skills I gained at Sheffield Hallam University by actually working on live projects with a supportive team of experienced architects around me. It’s great to be part of a hard working team who are very focused and passionate about the clients and their projects.
Although I’m still a relatively new recruit within the office, I've felt very welcome from the very first day and I’ve learnt so much too, more than I expected. I'm looking forward to learning much more over the coming years from all the inspiring talents around me at Croft Architecture.
My love of architecture leads me to my fondness of travel. I enjoy travelling for the obvious reason, I love architecture. Primarily my travels are based around the buildings I want to see, but I like to learn about different people, food and their cultures. I find it fascinating how life can be so similar, yet different, if that makes sense?
I'm a qualified swimming teacher and still enjoy teaching the children at our local leisure centre on a Saturday morning. In March 2019 I competed in the ASA Masters County Championships, and qualified for the Nationals being held in October 2019.
I've recently taken up running too. Last year I completed the Stafford Half Marathon, raising £200 for charity. So far this year, I've taken on the Stafford 10K, I hope to do another half marathon and then progress to a marathon very soon. The Ironman event has always appealed to me. Now that I'm gaining strength in running as well as swimming I thought that I'd buy a road bike to take the next step towards a triathlon and then maybe one day, the Ironman.
“We’re extremely pleased to have Coral as part of our growing team at Croft Architecture. We’re looking forward to the knowledge and experience she brings from her studies to the exciting range of projects that we have in the office and she’s already been proving a great addition to the team.”