What has been your biggest career achievement so far?
“Delivering the Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Centre in Kuwait. In the beginning there was nothing there but six empty, three-story aircraft hangars, with a design outline for each museum, an overall budget and no collection. We carried out an enabling works phase, so the building went from a multi-purpose space to something that could be used as a cultural centre and education space.
BECK’s role as construction manager was to manage and administer the entire exhibition design and fit-out for the six individual museum spaces in one consecutive period over 24 months.
Everything in the museum was made, sourced, or built specifically for the project. It was such an achievement. I was involved from the offset of the project so was heavily involved in the development of all the spaces.
What would you say to women who are concerned about entering a male dominated environment or who haven’t considered a career in construction?
“It can feel intimidating to enter a male-dominated industry, but you must do what you really love.
There is no getting away from the industry being male-dominated, and I currently work mainly with men. Often in the Museum & Heritage Sector you can find there a lot of women in the design and client side and being a woman in this industry can be an advantage because you have things in common straight away.
Construction is so broad. There are so many different paths, and the skills are so transferrable. I didn’t come from a background of construction so I feel like everything can be learnt. Project Management is great as you get to try various things in the industry. Then you might decide you would be better as a Design Manager or Commercial Manager. We don’t just work on building sites; there’s also a significant amount of off-site prefabrication involved.
Many people start in admin and get to know the industry from the ground up. Apprenticeships and school leavers doing work experience can also give you a taste of working in different departments. People don’t generally have a full understanding of all the aspects that go into construction.”