UCAS Application

My desire and passion to study architecture stems from my early childhood when I began creating
various forms of artwork and expressing my creative ability at all opportunities. This in turn, has
defined my personality and the person that I am today. During later years I developed an appreciation
not just for architecture, but also for the surrounding elements, the environment and the manner in
which these elements interact and integrate with one another in a state of equilibrium. I will refrain
from referencing a quote from any of the architectural greats in the hope that one day I will be able to
fill this void with a quote of my own. Ultimately, my ambition is to create a body of work throughout my
career which I can look back on with pride.
I have been fortunate enough to travel extensively, including favourite regions of mine such as South
East Asia and South America where I was fortunate enough to immerse myself in local cultures and
interact with indigenous residents. Through these experiences I was able to experience the current
and historical architecture from a local perspective and attempt to understand these echo chambers
of not only our own thoughts but the manifestation of the architects creativity. I would be able to lose
myself in a bygone age and reflect on the environs, social and political constructs, resource
limitations and innate inspiration which drove the creations left behind by these architectural
forefathers.

Architecture is so much more than a structure, it is understanding the elemental relationships and
their interactions, the spaces and forms, the textures and lighting, the aesthetics and the local
vernacular & the human perceptions and their comforts. Architecture has changed in the post-modern
era; where in the past, basic elements sufficed, modern technology and the evolving demand of
human needs and conveniences dictates a greater level of compromise which architects have to
achieve with relatively new professions such as mechanical & electrical designers, engineers,
Governmental bodies and their regulations in order to meet end user demands. Integrating the design
workflow has reformed architecture as we see it today. The collaboration of these adjacent
professions is what creates Architecture, not the Architect in isolation.
An example of a time I have experienced this collaboration in practice was during a college course
[HNC Construction and Built Environment] project in which I was the Lead Designer and Project
Manager. The brief was to design a sustainable building which would interact with the outside
elements and serve students with an environment not only to study from but crucially to learn about
the sustainable elements of the building they are residing in. As a team, we decided that for the
benefit of the students and for educational purposes we wanted the services and systems to appear
as a conspicuous feature within the building so students could learn from and inquire them in contrast
to their hidden nature in most common buildings. To ensure that the architectural design and the
performance of systems were not compromised, constant communication between myself and the
services coordinator ensured a smooth transition from a conceptual design into a detailed design. I
was awarded with a Distinction grade in this module for my efforts.
Currently working as an Assistant Architectural Technician for David Wilson Homes where I have
been supporting the Senior Architectural Technician on medium to large-scale residential
developments of mixed-use, I have gained valuable experience through collaborating with the various
team members in-house, the craftsmen on-site, external consultants, local authorities and site-specific
building control bodies such as the NHBC. I am highly confident in producing working drawings,
standard details, and pre-requisite site layouts as well as submitting planning and building regulation
applications. I also have a strong working knowledge of the building regulations and the code for
sustainable homes.
In my spare time I am constantly trying to improve my skills with new software that will be beneficial to
my professional development. In addition to being a competent user of Autodesks AutoCad, I have
become a self-taught user of Autodesk Revit which has assisted in the development of the

architectural, structural and M & E designs comprised in my portfolio which includes college and
personal projects. Additionally I am a self-taught Autodesk 3DS Max user, using the software to
create extensive Architectural Visualisations for work-related and personal projects. I have strong
working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and After Effects and have used both extensively for
architectural visualisation projects. Furthermore I have a good working knowledge of Lumion Pro
which I have used to create animations previously designed and modelled in Autodesk Revit.
Also, I am currently in the process of creating a freelance business for architectural visualisations
which I am extremely excited about the future prospects and hopefully I will be managing this on a
part-time basis whilst studying architecture at university.
There are many reasons I feel I would be a valuable student studying architecture. I am now at a
stage in my life where I am mature and focused enough to apply my experience effectively in order to
excel at the challenges and learning opportunities presented in the architectural course. I have made
the informed decision to sacrifice my position of employment as testament to my commitment to
further my studies.
Finally, my experience as a student in a design-related position, collaborating with other group
members has given me great insight into the valuable learning opportunities in such collaborative
environments and is something I would hope to explore further at university. Due to prior experience
in studying multiple construction subject matters I have a broad knowledge across the construction
industry and understanding of the professional roles and responsibilities within it. The experience I
have gained in the past 3 years in my role as an Assistant Architectural Technician provides me with
unique experience and skillsets that enable me to contribute proactively to transfer knowledge of
industry best practice to fellow students and teachers.
I sincerely hope that my application to study architecture at university will be taken into great
consideration and I look forward to all responses in the near future.