Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Viktoria, an architecture student at Loughborough University, to Powell Design & Construction for a one-week work experience placement.
Viktoria, or Vika for short, joined us during a busy and exciting time last week. Rather than easing her in gently, we put her straight to work on a live residential project iwe have running n Yorkshire — a real client, a real brief, and real expectations from day one.
Her key task involved developing the existing floor plan, with a particular focus on redesigning the entrance lobby, drawing inspiration from the functionality of a boot room, and reimagining the sun room extension to create a more spacious and enjoyable living environment.
She also reviewed the layout of the wider property and put forward a range of thoughtful additional design improvements.
But the live project was only part of it.
We deliberately structured Vika's placement to give her exposure beyond the drawing board. She proposed a fresh design for our construction cost estimate document, with the goal of creating a more client-focused presentation that better reflects the identity and professionalism of the practice.
She also suggested improvements to how we present our concept design floorplans, making them cleaner, more client-friendly, and better suited for marketing purposes. These are contributions that will genuinely shape how we communicate our work going forward.
We also gave her something a lot of placements don't offer: autonomy. Rather than a rigid schedule, Vika had the flexibility to structure her own time, prioritise her tasks, and decide where to focus her energy. Because we're not just interested in what someone produces. We want to see how they think.
Vika also joined Alexandra on a visit to Staffordshire University, where she had the opportunity to review the work of other design students and draw inspiration from their approaches. A good reminder that learning doesn't stop at the studio door.
In Vika's own words:
"The placement provided valuable insight into the design-and-build process, multidisciplinary collaboration, and project development… I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Powell Design & Construction and hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with the team again in the future."
We couldn't agree more. It was a genuine pleasure having her with us, and we look forward to seeing where her talent takes her.
