We were delighted to have Piotr join our Austin-Smith:Lord Cardiff studio for his Part 1 Summer Placement from May – August. We caught up with him before he left for a well-deserved vacation.

Piotr, Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I came to the UK from Poland to study architecture at the Welsh School of Architecture, where in October I’ll start my third and final year of the BSc course. In my free time, I enjoy skiing and taking photos with my film camera.

How did you come to spend your summer placement at A-S:L?

My tutor in my second year of university was Neil Farquhar, Architect at Austin-Smith:Lord. I asked if any summer placements were available and, following an interview, I was offered a 3-month placement for the summer.

What have you worked on during your time at Austin-Smith:Lord?

I’ve spent a lot of my time working on Swansea Community Hub, a project in the heart of Swansea where Austin-Smith:Lord are sustainably transforming a vacant BHS department store into a vibrant service centre and library. I developed models for this project on Revit, attended client meetings and site visits, and compiled the Stage 3 report.

I’ve also worked with Austin-Smith:Lord’s Conservation Team on Aberystwyth University’s Old College redevelopment, which has just started on site. The redeveloped Old College will provide a major centre for learning, heritage, culture and enterprise.

Another project I’ve been involved in is Bexhill Town Hall, where Austin-Smith:Lord are redeveloping the Town Hall and constructing a new civic centre. I carried out some Revit modelling for this project.

What have you enjoyed most about your time with us?

I’ve really enjoyed the site visits, where I can see projects I’m working on in real life and understand them better. It was very interesting to experience first-hand different aspect of architects’ work, from interiors and technical design to conservation.

I’ve also enjoyed being in the Cardiff studio, being part of the team, learning from everyone and picking up lots of useful information and tips!

What are the key things you’ve learned that will be of most use to you?

I’ve learned about the coordination and communication process between various design team members which I’m sure will be invaluable to me in future. Working on projects like Swansea Community Hub has been great in helping me to hone and improve my Revit skills, as well as my knowledge about the design process.

I’ve also learned how to use TwinMotion Software, which I hadn’t used before I joined Austin-Smith:Lord, and managed to produce quite a few nice visualizations  I’m very proud of!

What are your ambitions for the future?

I’m starting my final year in October, so my aim is to graduate with a good result and to continue developing my architectural skills, particularly in the area of public projects which I had a chance to get to know better at Austin-Smith:Lord.

I also plan to make time for my other passions, like photography and skiing, to help me relax and be ready for new challenges.