Name
Tanya Simeonova.

When did you join Austin-Smith:Lord?
2016.

What is your role within our Creative Collective?
Architect.

What are you working on at the moment?
A mix of residential and masterplanning projects

What inspires you most in your work?
Imagining a journey through a design and crafting functional places dotted with focal points of delight.

What lessons have you learned in your work?
Do one thing at a time; creative tasks require focus and time to get in the flow.

Which designers / projects do you most admire and why? 
I admire the work of countless designers; creativity never ceases to amaze. We all tap into an enormous wealth of already existing ideas, rarely anyone produces anything entirely new. I am in awe of how vigorous, fruitful, and sometimes frightening humans’ collective intelligence is.

What is your favourite place / building / landscape and why? 
Vantage points with expansive views over a city or landscapes have an appealing draw for me. I have been fortunate to settle in Penarth located on high cliffs affording plentiful vistas of Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan and Bristol Channel. I grew up in a town spread across the skirts of a mountain where beautiful long view scenery is a short walk away. Enjoying a large panorama resets the narrow perspective imposed by the mundane day-to-day; it is humbling and freeing experience.

What’s something that recently made you smile?
My son making his first steps, and ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue’ after the 6 o’clock news doom on BBC radio 4.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?
“If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?” – Rumi

What is your pet hate?
Mediocracy.