Supporting students at Kingston University

“The design and construction process is so much about collaboration, but one factor which prevents genuine collaboration is a lack of understanding within project teams of how different clients, suppliers and design disciplines operate. I was really keen to give these training architects real world examples of how they need to think about their client’s objectives, how to prioritise time, quality and cost based on the client’s operational needs. It’s so easy to think a building needs to be cheap or delivered quickly but for each organisation ‘value’ is different and understanding what that is helps to make you the most valuable professional in this industry.

“Every building has unique issues and it makes design and construction a dynamic industry – going through the Lecture – it was really nice to think about how the industry has changed. I think the industry has become agile, quick and flexible. It was nice to touch on why some processes such as bills of quantities were important in the past but are receding as we find faster and more dynamic ways to procure what we want. So much to learn - after 18 years in the industry I still learn every day – I was just pleased to help Kingston’s latest entrants to the industry get some issues to consider.”

“Thank you Pick Everard for delivering this super lecture, which Gavin had carefully coordinated with the student’s academic brief, making the topics relevant and relatable, and demonstrating the parallels in the process of developing their final year thesis project and professional practice.”