by Tanya Simeonova, Senior Architect & Associate

I am very pleased to share that I have become a member of the RIBA Expert Advisory Group for Planning and Housing.

As the sole representative from Wales in this cohort, I am grateful for the opportunity to bring a devolved perspective to the national stage. For me, this is more than a professional appointment; empowering our “Home-Creators” is a personal mission that drives my work – both as a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and in my daily practice at Austin-Smith:Lord.

I am affirm believer that we need to democratise the planning process to support a more diverse and resilient housing market. Our current system’s “front-loaded” planning risk often makes it difficult for mission-driven organisations to compete. I want to spend my term with the EAG advocating for the housing cooperatives, land trusts, and Housing Associations who build for people, not just for profit.

During my time with the RIBA EAG, I will be exploring:

• Streamlined Planning Pathways: Identifying how we can use initiatives like the New Towns Programme as a “sandbox” to fast-track projects with clear community backing.
• Professional & Community Trust: Shifting towards a planning culture that rewards long-term stewardship and places more trust in the “home-caretakers” who manage these assets for decades.
• Active Engagement: Finding ways for Local Authorities and HAs to turn housing lists into active coalitions for development, ensuring future residents have a genuine stake in the process.

Housing is more than just delivering units; it is about creating long-term community assets. I look forward to collaborating with my fellow EAG members to develop policy recommendations that foster a truly inclusive housing sector.

I’d love to hear from my network: How can we better support community-led housing within our current planning framework?

Tanya’s LinkedIn profile

This piece was first published in the Matcham Society Journal (Edition 10), 2024. It was written by Giles Woodford of the Frank Matcham Society, following an interview between Giles and Graham Ross, Chief Executive at Austin-Smith:Lord. Giles has kindly given permission for us to re-publish it. Our thanks also go to Rhiannon Davies and Peter McCurdy for their contributions to the piece. 

“By Jove missus!” It’s surely one of the most famous phrases of faux- horror ever uttered across the footlights of a British theatre, and it came, of course, from the lips of our late Patron Sir Ken Dodd.

Along with several other trademark Dodd catchphrases like “Tatty bye”, it’s inscribed on the stepped seating of the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden, which is part of the Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Merseyside. Interleaved with the Dodd-isms on alternate steps are quotes from Shakespeare himself – a combination which must sure tickle Sir Ken as he watches down on audiences courtesy of a giant mural on a side wall. It’s all most appropriate too, as the theatre is only four miles from Sir Ken’s Knotty Ash home, and Lady Dodd was a major donor to the Shakespeare North project.

Executive architects on the project were Austin-Smith:Lord (A-S:L), working in tandem with HELM Architecture.  A-S:L has recently joined the Frank Matcham Society as a Corporate member, so it was good to find out more about the firm with the unusually-punctuated name.

“The practice was founded by the husband and wife team Michael and Inette Austin-Smith in London,” CEO Graham Ross tells me on a Zoom call from his Glasgow office.  “It grew and expanded into the North-West of England, initially in Warrington. They were joined in partnership by Peter Lord in the early to mid 1950s, hence the somewhat dramatic colon, to separate him from Mike and Inette.

The unusual punctuation has caused a bit of confusion over the years, but it does distinguish us, I suppose!

“It’s now a multi-disciplinary practice. We have studios across the UK, in Cardiff, Bristol, Liverpool, and Glasgow. We are a design-led practice with building, conservation and landscape architects, interior designers and urban planners. We were established in 1949, so this year is our 75th anniversary. We’ve grown and developed as a practice, with expertise across a range of sectors – not least in arts and culture, of which we are very proud.”

Graham has been with the practice for 25 years. He was the first employee in the Glasgow studio, and became Chief Executive in 2020. At what stage in life, I ask him, did he decide to become an architect?

“I do a lot of work with school-age kids and students at universities, advising them about potential careers. I try to inspire them to engage in the design professions. I was fortunate that somehow or other instinctively I just had an attraction towards architecture in my early to mid teens. There had never been an architect or anyone in the design professions in my family before. I’ve always championed architecture as a profession because it connects a great many things: you can engage in culture, society, design, history, mathematics and the sciences. You can develop your own personal interests within the profession, it’s a very broad church, from conservation architecture through to pioneering design.

“All of that comes back to design that has a potential to be a powerful tool for good, not only for how things comes together but also the positive impact that buildings, spaces, and human settlement can have on society more widely. I was fortunate that I latched onto something that was not only a passion but could also become a profession.”

Graham Ross is not only CEO of A-S:L, he also heads up the arts and culture sector of the practice. A wide variety of projects have been undertaken, including both new-build and restoration work. Examples include Liverpool Central Library (extending over several floors, its free-flowing, curvaceous lines remind me of a modern cruise ship atrium), the new V&A Collection and Research Centre in East London, the restoration of the Grade I-listed Great Pagoda in Kew Gardens, and – in 2016 – the refurbishment of the Gaiety Theatre, Ayr.

The Gaiety first opened in 1902, with a 580-seat replacement auditorium designed by Alec Cullen built in 1904 following an early fire. It was reinstated in 1955 following a second fire.

“It’s a B-listed building, somewhat isolated in central Ayr,” Graham Ross comments. “The interior was intact, but the quality of audience experience and accessibility issues were not meeting contemporary standards. Equally there were technical challenges with the staging of performances. Moreover, the fabric itself was deteriorating and required attention. This is an example of a venue that is fondly held in high regard by local people in Ayr. It was host to a wide range of performances, from panto to local groups to touring companies including household names.”

A-S:L was engaged to carry out a £2.4 million project, with the refurbishment work being carried out in two phases. The first focussed on front-of-house audience facilities, and the second restored and rejuvenated the auditorium back to its Edwardian splendour.  Out went the “garish pink and gold paintwork” noted in the Theatres Trust Guide to British Theatres.

“It was a very interesting proposition,” Graham continues. “Jeremy Wyatt, a very energetic and passionate chief executive, was adept at securing funding, first of all for appointing consultant teams to assess the fabric, and the heritage and historical significance aspects of the building. Latterly we have been exploring with the theatre the opportunity to further improve and enhance the quality of their venue, and perhaps provide a secondary studio theatre stage. It’s heartening to see that the project in the first instance managed to save what could otherwise have been a very sorry tale about the decline of a heritage building through neglect, then rejuvenated and brought new life to it.”

But the stand-out theatre project in the A-S:L arts portfolio is surely the £25 million Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, completed in 2022.

Looking at the thoroughly modern exterior of the building, you would never guess that it contains a 470-seat theatre auditorium that Shakespeare himself might have recognised.

There is a historical precedent for siting the theatre in Prescot. In the 1590s the town boasted what is thought to be Britain’s only indoor theatre outside London at the time.  It hosted touring companies, funded by the Earl of Derby, resident of nearby Knowsley Hall, who presented the new shows of the day – including Shakespeare’s latest works.

“The design of the Shakespeare North project was done in collaboration with Dr Nick Helm, whose expertise on Shakespearean theatre was key,” Graham Ross explains. “Austin-Smith:Lord was involved right from the start, helping the local authority and relevant local partners to conceive of the idea of a cultural venue in Prescot to regenerate the Knowsley area: we’ve been part of that journey to make the business case, secure the funding and bring in experts, including other design experts. It’s been a great privilege to see the project come to life.”

The main auditorium is named the Cockpit Theatre, after the cockpit theatre in Whitehall, London, built by Henry VIII in 1533: its remains sit directly below No.10 Downing Street. But much has changed since the sixteenth century, and the Prescot auditorium is designed to offer flexible staging formats.

“One of the most critical considerations when recreating the historic theatre for modern-day usage was compliance with current fire regulations,” explains Rhiannon Davies, A-S:L’s project architect during the contract phase of the building. “This affected every design decision. Building on this, was extensive exploration of options for smoke ventilation that could be visually hidden, and technically perform alongside the acoustic requirements. At detailed design stage every material was thoroughly examined to ensure compliance, and careful consideration was given to the type of detection systems that could best be integrated into a historic environment. We worked very closely with our local authority building control officer throughout design development and during construction.”

We can all think of examples where hideous modern stage lighting installations have teeth-clenchingly impinged on a historic theatre auditorium design and atmosphere. This was another major consideration at Prescot, Rhiannon tells me.

“Part of the concept design was for the theatre to perform in a series of different ‘modes’, and so when in ‘historic mode’ it is crucial that theatre equipment such as lighting bars and facilities panels are not visible to the audience.  The facilities panels, for example, are recessed into floor and ceiling voids or recessed into benches, often behind removable panels, so that different equipment is available in different locations around the theatre: this is also coordinated to cater for each of the layouts – theatre-in-the-round or end stage.

“The ceiling is central to the fire, acoustic and technical performance of the theatre in all modes.  The ceiling incorporates a series of trap doors for lowering props and lighting bars over the stage, alongside almost 100 small openings for individual lines to be discretely lowered.  It is finished with angled panelling designed by our acoustic engineers to optimise reflections over the stage. Heavy wool curtains were added on the diagonal walls to provide variable acoustics: they can be drawn to soften the exposed concrete walls behind as required.

“Creating a theatre that is equally accessible for all was also a key part of our brief,” Rhiannon continues. “This was factored into every design decision, from the physical setting out of the theatre – creating wide accessible routes and wheelchair-accessible viewing spaces – to the selection of finishes that provide appropriate contrasts for different visual needs.”

Construction of the oak-framed Cockpit Theatre was in the hands of specialist designer-craftsmen firm McCurdy & Co.  Project director was master- craftsman Peter McCurdy, who performed the same role for the Globe and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in London.

“All the oak in the Cockpit comes from sustainable sources,” Peter tells me. “The timber for the sixteen large shaped main posts, as well as some of the other larger timbers were sourced from English oak trees. The remainder of the smaller timbers and the floor joists were sourced from European oak. There are also a few oak timbers that have been reused in the Cockpit that were originally used in the theatre in the Shakespeare in Love film set.”

Although McCurdy & Co. have considerable experience in reconstructing historic timber structures, their previous work on the Globe and Sam Wanamaker reconstructions certainly helped when it came to constructing the Cockpit, Peter continues. “In the 60-80 years that separated Henry VIII’s original Cockpit from the Globe and then the Jacobean theatres, carpentry practice and methodologies changed very little, so the historic jointing and fabrication methods used by McCurdy were similar for the timber frames of all three theatres. The historical process involved working on the timbers and pre-fabricating the timber frames off-site in our workshops, before transporting the timbers and erecting the timber frame on-site.

“It is the design and detailing for each theatre that distinguishes them apart. The Cockpit is a substantial and robust medieval timber structure but with a level of finish, detail and carving that befits a Tudor King’s building. Although larger, the Globe is a more vernacular Elizabethan building with its thatch roof and timber frame of plainer squared timbers. By comparison the Jacobean Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is a more delicate oak structure with its refined turned columns and carved bases and capitals.”

Experience with the London theatres also helped when the Cockpit timber work was installed at Prescot, Peter adds.

“The timber frame for the Cockpit had to be erected within the modern shell of concrete walls and steel framed roof that had already been constructed on site. McCurdy had encountered similar challenges when erecting the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, which helped when planning the erection of the Cockpit. A ‘spider crane’ that only just fitted through one of the openings in the concrete walls, sat in the middle of what would eventual become the Cockpit and one by one the oak timbers were carefully lifted into place. Once the timbers and joints had come together the McCurdy team then drove the tapered oak pegs through the mortise and tenon joints that secure the Cockpit frame.”

A-S:L’s website features a video showing the Shakespeare North building going up at a rate of knots. Was it really like that?

“Every single construction project, big or small, always encounters unforeseen issues,” A-S:L CEO Graham Ross says as he comments about the video. “Prescot was built during the Covid pandemic. None of us had experienced anything like that during our lifetimes, but the building work progressed very well on a very tight site within the historic town centre. It was deeply sloping topography with level-changing issues. The work went remarkably well – especially when you compound the challenge with the difficulties of social distancing. The build quality achieved was remarkable, not least with the solid oak frame of the Cockpit Theatre.”

Approaching Shakespeare North from Prescot railway station on a dark and drizzly February evening, the building was not that easy to spot. Perhaps for reasons of economy, the uplighters designed to flood the concertina façade with vivid colour were all switched off, so the theatre didn’t exactly offer a seductive street presence.

However, a warm welcome is certainly forthcoming from the front-of-house staff the minute you step over the threshold.  “You don’t need to buy a programme,” you are cheerfully informed, “just point your phone at that QR code over there.”  Illuminated by bright white ceiling strip lights, the foyer spaces feel modern-functional, with their exposed concrete and brick surfaces.

The first thing that hits you is the smell of freshly cut timber.

But the atmosphere changes completely when you enter the Cockpit auditorium. The first thing that hits you is the smell of freshly cut timber. Light in colour and octagonal in shape, the space immediately wraps you in its warm embrace. With reasonably comfortable cushioning, the bench seating means that you are up close and cosy with your neighbours. Not many seats have backs.  But modern theatre seating would hardly be appropriate or practical in this space.

John Godber’s Bouncers was on stage the night we visited. Playing in-the- round to a packed house, the four first-rate actors demonstrated that the Cockpit has a reverberant acoustic.  But the gales of laughter that were forthcoming from all around as one bawdy line followed another made it clear that this historic-design, wrap-round theatre really connects the stage with the audience – a factor that was so important to Matcham some three centuries later.

“Indeed,” A-S:L’s Graham Ross agrees.  “Theatre and live performance, whether it’s spoken or music-based, is a visceral experience. Sometimes the power of that experience can overcome any shortcomings in the venue involved, but the careful crafting of Matcham’s designs – and one hopes of contemporary theatre design – removes any impediments, and makes that intimate connection between the performer and the audience. One of the joys of a Matcham theatre is that sense of intimacy with the stage which is achieved even in an auditorium that can accommodate hundreds of people. And it can  do so in a way that heightens the quality of the performance on the stage.”

Many thanks to Giles Woodforde and the Frank Matcham Society for writing this piece. You can view a pdf of the article at this link: Matcham Journal: Interview with Graham Ross

Frank Matcham Society website: http://www.frankmatchamsociety.org.uk/

By Andrew McCafferty, Director and Head of Architecture at Austin-Smith:Lord

Made viable by the introduction of post covid blended working, I am fortunate to have recently moved to the coastal town of Helensburgh in Argyll & Bute and I’m loving my 3 day a week commute to work in Glasgow City Centre.

I enjoy the downhill walk from the house my wife and I live in, through quiet grass verged and tree lined streets down to the 19^th Century Grade B Listed red sandstone station typical of railway station architecture of the period. I enjoy the view across the Clyde estuary towards Greenock and think of my grandfather who started his Merchant Navy career there, subsequently promoted to captain, torpedoed twice during WW2 North Atlantic convoy runs and managing to survive without loss of life to his crew.

As I approach the station, I glimpse the periphery of the award winning public realm works designed by my colleagues at Austin-Smith:Lord completed in 2015. The quality of design, the reimagining of the town square and promenade and selection of materials successfully enhances the centre of Helensburgh and is a fine example of successful urban regeneration that the Practice is justifiably proud of. On a rainy day (of which there are many), the warm colours of the multi coloured granite paving is enlivened and lifts the spirit.

The train journey along the coast to Dumbarton is memorable in all weathers. As the train passes Craigendoran, the skeleton of the old pier represents a bygone age where steamships full of Glaswegians having a “wee swally” would have stopped off on their trip “doon the watter.”

The Clyde is ominously empty and sadly silent now with few watercraft making use of a route that would have been filled with all manner of shipping during the 19^h and early 20^th centuries.

My train journey continues past Dunglass Castle where our Conservation Architects recently complete research and a feasibility study to identify new uses for this formidable and historic structure which is lost amongst the construction work associated with remediating the former Esso oil refinery site.

As the train passes through Dumbarton, I think about the family connection to this town where my Great Grandfather lived and worked as a baker and my Great Great grandfather a labourer. Spooky that I am now living in the same parish as my ancestors?

When the train gets closer to the city centre passing through Clydebank and Hyndland I recall the projects Austin-Smith:Lord has completed or are current in this area ranging from design charrettes, depot rationalization feasibilities, public realm works, healthcare projects – the list is long.

By the time I reach Partick, I recall one of my favourite projects for SPT – Partick Bus Station – completed in 2018 and still looking fresh with its curved glass ends, cantilevered roofs, polished granite plinths and integrated CIS technology. I remember the site visits during the construction phase and the hours of checking sub-contractor drawings to ensure the design was coordinated.

The commute gives me time to get my thoughts together for my day at work. With my to do list formed, priorities identified I’m ready to face the day’s challenges of leading multiple projects from our Glasgow studio. I just need that first cup of coffee!

As multi -disciplinary organisations consider new ways of working, office culture, collaboration, online/face to face interaction – blended working makes it viable to choose places to live that suit those who want to be closer to countryside and are looking for an alternative to life in the suburbs. So, commuting can be beneficial: time to warm up for the day and decompress on the way home. I feel privileged to be able to travel along the Clyde estuary, passing through contrasting urban environments that all have their own historic legacy and story to tell, and I am reminded of the work in this locality that our Practice has completed in the last 25 years.

We’re celebrating 25 years of creativity and collaboration at our Glasgow studio! As part of the festivities, we’ve caught up with David Carr for a quickfire Q&A session:

Name:
David Michael Carr.

When did you join the Glasgow studio?
November 2021.

What is your role within our Creative Collective?
I am a Part II Architectural Assistant in the process of getting my Part III qualification.

What are you working on at the moment?
A number of office fit-outs for the NHS, a large scale speculative healthcare project and a number of urban design projects around Scotland.

What inspires you most in your work?
Knowing that in some small way, my work with A-S:L is helping steward the industry in this country, toward an eventual carbon neutral future (hopefully).

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on at A-S:L?
Westhaugh Traveller’s Site Transformation. This project:
– Gave me the opportunity to implement Passivhaus principles in the design and material selection.
– Allowed me to work on a project with a user base with very specific cultural needs.
– Was an informative process that helped me progress my technical knowledge and develop multiple aspects of my skillset.

Which Glasgow studio project, from the last 25 years, would you most like to visit and why?
Roseisle Distillery, because I need a drink. But in all seriousness, it was the ambition of this project to achieve BREEAM Excellent Standard for a substantial industrial building which drew me to the project. It’s also intriguing to see the number of techniques employed to conserve energy and optimise resources, such as through the use of a water-reclamation plant, heat recovery systems and using leftover grain as biomass fuel.

What’s the most unusual thing you have on your desk?
An alphabet key so I can decipher certain members of staff’s handwriting.

What’s your favourite memory so far of working at A-S:L?
Participating in a public engagement event along the Saltcoats coast in North Ayrshire, on a clear day with the isle of Arran directly in front of me.

Where’s your favourite place to go for lunch near the Glasgow studio?
Paesano! or Metro if I can’t be bothered to walk that far.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from a colleague?
“If you’re writing to someone and you know their name then sign off ‘yours sincerely’, if you don’t then sign off ‘yours faithfully’” – Graham Ross

By Victoria Slater, Architect, Austin-Smith:Lord

The challenge of how to design an inspiring new school building on a constrained city centre site in Cardiff was difficult – this was set to us in Spring 2019 in responding to Cardiff Council’s tender for the replacement of the current school as part of the Welsh Government’s Band B programme of school rebuilding. Austin-Smith:Lord were appointed as Lead Designer providing Architecture, Interior Architecture and Landscape Design services as part of Kier’s successful design team.

Our design response at tender stage was extremely well received, successfully interpreting the vision and brief produced by the client team within the limitations of the schedule of accommodation and the extensive site constraints. Central to this was the way we unlocked the school’s spatial requirements to provide a large central space which acts as the heart for the whole school.

Project Vision

The project vision stated the following key objectives;

• • Replacement facilities for the 11-18 year old 10FE High School plus 350 place Sixth Form, 1850 pupils total
  • Extended Opportunities provision for 40 pupils & Primary Cluster for 10 Key Stage 2 pupils
  • Accessible by community after school; ability to zone these facilities securely including a 25m indoor swimming pool
  • Learning spaces which adapt easily and quickly to provide a variety of pedagogic approaches for the New Curriculum in Wales
  • Provision of a bright, high quality new building that will support the changing and developing needs of both learners and teachers
  • Integration of learning and working environments with a visible ‘public face’ to raise aspirations

Design Concept

The simple concept for the massing of the building is derived of 3 interlocking blocks reflecting the differing functions of the brief; the school, sports facilities and the community pool. These are clearly expressed for ease of wayfinding, with cut away entrances where each of the blocks intersect. The main school teaching accommodation is formed by a 3 story “superblock”, a necessary response to the site constraints.

Designed for the New Curriculum for Wales we zoned the Areas of Learning (AoLe) vertically and horizontally through the building, in response to the proposed changes we knew were coming. Working with educational consultants, Lloyd Wilson Partnership, we re-ordered the Schedule of Accommodation away from the traditional departmental model which was still in use at the time.

Atria are placed throughout the building to bring natural daylight into internalised spaces, to create visual connections across the different floors; acting as unifying elements for the various AoLe, social, dining and open learning spaces located around them. These light-wells are extremely important to the success of the building from a health and wellbeing perspective; delivering a light and spacious interior that inspires and supports the school community.

Heart of the School

A key design challenge within the School’s briefing documents was the requirement to provide two separate assembly halls in addition to a dedicated dining space. This was required to meet their teaching timetabling, however they longed for a larger gathering space to hold whole-school events and celebrate their achievements with the community, after having been constrained for so many years by their existing school buildings.

We turned this challenge into an opportunity through the innovative co-location of these spaces in 3-dimensions as illustrated in the sections below. By utilising some of the breakout space area allocation we provided a large Hellerup staircase as part of the dining hall (or learning steps) which functions as an informal seating area to link the two assembly halls together with the dining space in the centre. The concept section through the halls demonstrates the flexibility to create different sized spaces through large folding partitions at the ends of each hall. When these partitions are opened up it therefore creates an impressive, inter-connected large space which has become the heart of the new school.

Achieving the Vision

The heart space provides multiple opportunities for hundreds of staff and pupils to gather, learn, present, perform, welcome, study, dine and celebrate. It also offers an opportunity to better engage with the wider community, with the spaces also available for hire to generate additional school income – this became an important long term benefit in terms of current school funding challenges.

Through the detail design development stages we worked through the technical performance requirements to deliver the winning concept – analysing the acoustic performance of the halls, partitions, modelling the spaces throughout the day, undertaking spatial analysis against exam and lesson timetables with the project acoustician and educationalist.

The technical coordination of the AV equipment enables the linking of the three spaces together via projectors, camera and audio relay, allowing performances and assemblies to be held to large audiences, including those without direct sight of the stage. Also key to the success of this concept is the selection of the FF&E, allowing for multiple configurations and positioning of the speakers and performers through modular flexible staging, mobile AV positions and seating types to suit the configurations. A bleacher seat unit can travel forward in the upper sixth form hall, which is mostly used for lectures, allowing for direct sightline views into the dining and main hall at ground floor when capacity is not maximised.

It has been a privilege to work with the School and the entire project team to design and deliver this unique series of spaces, and to see the vision brought into reality. We are delighted to have had the opportunity to join the school at some of their first events to utilise their heart space and see what a difference it is already making for pupils, staff and the local community, and look forward to a continued relationship with our friends at Fitzalan High School.

More project info at this link: https://www.austinsmithlord.com/projects/fitzalan-high-school-cardiff/

Local communities in and around Saltcoats are being invited to have their say and help shape the future of Melbourne Public Park.

Over the past 2 years several community action groups have emerged in Saltcoats, each seeking to make improvements to the town centre, shorefront area and lives of local people. More recently, these organisations have started to collaborate with more established projects under a new umbrella body called Ripple Effect: Saltcoats with a vision to make Saltcoats a thriving place that is great to live in, work in and visit.

Ripple Effect: Saltcoats’ first priority is to make Melbourne Public Park a vital community asset that not only looks great but supports its vision. Therefore, the group has Austin-Smith:Lord and their partner WAVEParticle, to undertake a Feasibility Study of the park. In scope, the study will cover the entire park site and adjoining areas. This will include consideration of the future of the redundant toilet block and any future toilet provision on site.

The consultation will provide valuable insights on what you want from the park and how that might be achieved. This could include consideration of the park as a place that promotes and enables social connection, good health and wellbeing, wildlife and nature, planting and growing, arts, enterprise, employment and connects the town centre and shore front in an effective way.

We’d be delighted if you could join us and share your thoughts at our community engagement events on and around the park on Friday 10th November from 10am-3pm and on Saturday 11th November from 11.15-3 pm. Join us at Melbourne Public Park & Melbourne Fry, 3 Winton St, KA21 5BN

Also, please also take ten minutes to complete our online community survey as another way of sharing your views. The survey can be accessed via the following link:

https://forms.office.com/e/yVp5Spjpds

The survey will be open until noon on Friday 17th November.

Name
Karen Monks.

When did you join Austin-Smith:Lord?
1983.

What is your role within our Creative Collective?
HR Manager + Practice Administrator.

What inspires you most in your work? 
Finding positive solutions to HR issues.

What lessons have you learned in your work?
Attention to detail is essential.

What is your favourite place / building / landscape and why?
Our Liverpool studio – Port of Liverpool Building –  an iconic, magnificent building that keeps adapting to modern ways of working without losing its grandeur.

What fictional place would you like to visit?
Hogwarts

What’s something that recently made you smile?
My two year old granddaughter announcing to anyone who would listen in the supermarket “This is MY Grandma”.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?
It’s tough at the top but crowded at the bottom – so always try to be the best you can.

Complete the following – “I couldn’t get through the week without….”
My Friday night (large) glass of Sauvignon Blanc!