Karen Pickering
Practice: Page\Park
Established: 1981
City: Glasgow
Country: United Kingdom
www.pagepark.co.uk
[email protected]
I have been an architect with Page\Park since 1992 and have a wide range of experience, being involved with projects from initial concept through to the completion of the building. I lead the Workplace sector in the office and am team leader on a number of projects, giving mentoring support to the architects in the team. My particular field of expertise is delivering sustainable buildings. This is reflected in the design and detailing of the projects I have been involved with, including four BREEAM excellent-rated buildings.
I have produced a wide range buildings over the years, including housing, offices, arts and education buildings. I have a hands-on approach to running projects on site and have a track record of delivering projects on budget and on programme.
I have also given a number of lectures and seminars focusing on designing and delivering sustainable buildings.
Page\Park
School of Computing, University of Dundee
Our client requested an innovative 'non-geeky' building to add excitement to the image of computer programming. The form is based on a series of white-rendered circular pods, which house the computer laboratories, grouped around a three-storey atrium space. The building form helps with the natural ventilation and natural lighting strategy and allows students to work in clusters, encouraging the sharing of of ideas.
| Do you think our profession is diverse enough? | Our profession could be more diverse, especially in Scotland. There are very few women in top-level management positions or in our professional bodies. In Scotland the profession and the construction industry are still white-male dominated. In our office we have a good ratio of male to female architects and a number of architects from around the world. More diversity in our profession would be reflected in better-quality architecture. |
| What do you find most rewarding in your area of work? | I enjoy seeing a project complete, having worked on it from initial sketch through to the final building. The main rewarding aspect is seeing our architecture improving the lives of people, such as the social-housing projects we have worked on in the Gorbals and East End of Glasgow. I enjoy mentoring the younger architects in my teams, inspiring them and passing on my knowledge. I have worked at P\P for 20 years and every day is different and stimulating. |
| How have your clients and projects benefited from your involvement? | I work closely with clients and therefore produce quality buildings that are unique to each client and each site. Communication is important in the way we work. We listen and embrace the client as part of the team, so the final building solution meets their needs. The buildings I am involved with are very distinctive and usually take on an organic form. They have strong sustainable design principles and are always delivered on time and on budget. |