What three words describe Workman?

Professional, dedicated, adaptable.

What has been your standout moment at Workman so far?

There have been two; qualifying as a Chartered Architectural Technologist (which would not have been possible without the support of the firm) was a high point, and subsequently taking up responsibility for leading Workman’s in-house design team, also known as The CAD Team. It’s a privilege to head the department and begin to encompass new and interesting areas of work – plus our dedicated team of CAD Designers are a consistent pleasure to work with.

Thinking about the specific team you work within, can you tell us a bit about what that means to you, and also to the business?

The CAD Team forms a valuable component of the business. Our role is to provide the plan work and technical advice associated with the full range of Building Surveying & Property Management activity that Workman undertake for our clients; lease plans, feasibilities, planning drawings, space planning, vehicle tracking, videos and CGIs. We cover a very wide range of activities, often requiring specialist knowledge that can be vital to the success of a project. It’s a gratifyingly challenging and varied role which keeps my interest high.

Tell us about a time you’ve put your skills to their best use at Workman?

I’ve been enjoying the process of growing the CGI side of the business. It’s a very useful process for clients to be able to properly visualise a scheme through our 2D images, 360 panoramas and virtual tours. 3D modelling and rendering is on the more creative end of the spectrum of work that we do, it requires being able to visualise space in three dimensions and have an eye for balancing an image with angles, textures, lighting, props, so the process plays well to my strengths.

What change would you make to a single aspect of the wider property sector, and why?

A continuing drive to embrace the technology that empowers change in how real estate is viewed; how we create new spaces, survey and understand existing property, alter, improve, manage, maintain and interact with property. Technology allows a route to the many tangible advantages of ESG. It can offer solutions to the questions raised through the global re-evaluation process of the last two years of what a property or space is for, what purpose it should now serve, and how best to achieve that.

What are your spare time pursuits and how do they feed into your role at Workman?

My free time pursuits actually provide a sensible break from my day-to-day role. I play incredibly average blues guitar, read a lot, and when the chance presents I enjoy mountain biking. I’ve also been enjoying drawing pet portraits lately.

What is your favourite building worldwide, and why?

It sounds low-key, but one of my favourites is Clifton Cathedral in Bristol. It was built in the 1970s and is an amazing bit of brutalist architecture, internally the arrangement of the in-situ cast concrete structure is spectacular.

What first led you into the property industry?

I was working part time as an illustrator, and not particularly fulfilled, when a friend showed me some of his technical drawing work, which I found inspiring. So, I did a couple of college AutoCAD courses and then started as a Junior Draftsman for a specialist construction company. This job gave me a glimpse of the wider sector outside of the specialism I was working in, so when the time came to move on I wanted a role that would touch more broadly on the property industry, which happily the position at Workman offered.

What book do you recommend?

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I love bleak literature and while this is (almost) relentlessly miserable it’s also beautifully written.

It’s also a reminder that things could generally always be worse, to quote: “The frailty of everything revealed at last. Old and troubling issues resolved into nothingness and night.”  

So, it keeps me optimistic in many ways!