WWA are very pleased to share the success of our Part 1 Architectural Assistant Helena Gatland who has completed her degree in Architecture at Oxford Brookes University with First Class Honours. You can find out more about the School of Architecture here. The images in the article are from Helena’s final design project which involved turning an old power station into a co-housing scheme in central Oxford. You can read more about Helena by viewing her profile here.

We asked Helena a few questions so that our colleagues and clients can get to know a bit about our latest team member:

What are you most excited about in your Part 1 Placement?

• I am looking forward to using the knowledge I have gained over the past three years at Oxford Brookes University in practice, and to learn about the different stages of building projects.

What was your undergraduate design project all about?

• In my final year university project, I worked with an existing building in Oxford City Centre, turning an old power station into a co-housing scheme. The pandemic has led to isolation becoming a more visible issue and I wanted to address this by focusing on how city living can become communal and affordable.

What research interests do you have (dissertation subject)?

• In my dissertation I examined conventional public bathrooms, how they meet the needs of transgender individuals, and suggesting ways to rethink their design. In the process I looked closely into UK building regulations and legislation, as well as concepts and theories.

What interested you about working at WWA?

• Something I find very interesting is the relationship between architecture and society; how design responds to different people and how architecture can have a positive impact on society. What interested me about working at WWA was their values and ethics, the focus on the end user, and the broad variety of projects they take on. Since starting in May, I have worked on a wide variety of residential schemes, and I believe WWA will provide me with a strong understanding of architectural practice.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies and interests?

• I started playing ice hockey at the age of 6; I played in the Women’s Elite division in Norway for 6 years until 2018 when I started playing for Oxford University.