Industry Profile

INDUSTRY PROFILE: CHARTERED ARCHITECT

ANNALISA SPENCER

Born and raised in Guernsey, chartered architect Annalisa Spencer worked in London, Europe and the Middle East before returning to the island to continue her career at local architectural practice, Lovell Ozanne. She shared with us her route to qualification, her career path and how she finds fulfilment in her job.

For Annalisa Spencer, architecture was a career she had decided on before she even left school. “I’d always loved to draw and sketch so I wanted to do something arts related, but at the same time I enjoyed working with people. Architecture seemed the best way of marrying all the different things that I would enjoy in a career.”

The lengthy process to become a qualified architect is well-known, so Annalisa first attended the University of Liverpool for her undergraduate degree before taking a couple of years out prior to returning for her postgraduate qualification.

In that gap between her university courses, Annalisa spent time working in practice in both Paris and Geneva, and she credits that time in Europe with really firing her creativity for her future career.

“I found the architectural culture in both France and Switzerland much more inspiring than anything I’d been exposed to before. There were a lot of competition based projects which really engaged young people and gave them a focus for their ideas and design creativity. It gave me a real passion for what I was doing and definitely proved to me that I was pursuing the right career.”

Back in the UK, and having finished her postgraduate degree at Liverpool, Annalisa followed in the footsteps of many budding architects and headed straight for the capital.

“London works at a frenetic pace in terms of architecture and there is a real buzz around the industry there that I wanted to be part of. I was determined that I wanted to work for Deborah Saunt at DSDHA so I started there as an architectural assistant. It was a very design led practice and it was great experience, but I was working a huge amount of hours which made it very difficult to complete my professional qualifications (RIBA part 3), which I really wanted to do.

“I moved practices to Pollard Thomas Edwards, who were really supportive of me completing my qualification at the University of Westminster and providing great mentoring while I did so. I think it was an important lesson to learn – young people are always happy to work hard but it makes such a difference if they

have supportive people around them to help them develop.”

Annalisa’s plan from London was a move to another great architectural city, New York. But life took an unexpected turn when she was given the opportunity to move to Doha with her husband.

“Qatar was a completely different environment in so many ways, from the way construction projects were managed to the contractual obligations and obviously the working environment. I was working for a small practice where we were often delivering components of work as part a very large project. I worked, for example, on a complex glazing package for the Emir’s town palace – which was a very different job to anything I’d have done in London.”

While Annalisa admits that it was a struggle at first to adapt to the different work culture, she says that she certainly learned a lot from the experience, and it’s a time that she values in her career.

“In London I’d been focused principally on social housing projects, with our modern approach to open plan living often featuring as a key part of the design. When designing residential buildings in Qatar it was very different as there needed to be separate living spaces for men and women, and the kitchen spaces would usually be tucked away for the domestic help to use. I’d also certainly never thought so much about the importance of air conditioning and shading until I was working in Doha.”

After five years in Doha, Annalisa and her husband decided to return to Europe with their young family and coming ‘home’ to Guernsey seemed an obvious option.

Since her return to the island, Annalisa has worked at local firm Lovell Ozanne, who have traditionally had a commercial focus but were enthusiastic for her to carve out a role in the areas that interested her and expand their offering.

“My main interests are residential and education spaces – that’s my experience and they were the fields that I knew I wanted to carry on working in. Housing has always been a passion for me – I like to create living spaces and environments where people can be comfortable, happy and safe. I always think that education and civil spaces are fascinating as well, so my focus is certainly on community and the way people live.

“Lovell Ozanne have been very supportive of that, and of me. They understand that I have a family life and have allowed flexible working, while knowing that I have a complete commitment to my job.”

The role, combined with the culture of the construction industry here, means that for Annalisa, the return to island living has been enjoyable.

“I find it a real positive that Guernsey is so accessible, with easy connectivity to other professionals in the industry, whether that’s planning and building control or the engineers and consultants. That proximity means that it’s easy to communicate with people, and that’s the best thing about my job. I love going to see clients and having that personal interaction, which is harder to access in bigger places as you can be so far removed from the client and the site.”

Looking back at her career so far, Annalisa reflects on which projects she’s particularly proud of, and she has a very honest answer.

“The temptation is to show plans for some of the more impressive private house schemes that I’ve been part of, but actually I know that some of the projects I’m most proud of are more low key. For example, the social housing schemes I helped design which have made such a difference to their residents in north London, or enabling a family home to be built on a tricky and constrained plot.

“There is an empowerment that can come from having a safe, well-designed and attractive living environment. I think there is a real beauty in everyday simplicity that makes people’s lives better.”

Annalisa clearly has a drive to make quality design accessible to everyone, but she admits that there are constraints in the industry and the island which can make that a challenge. For now, she is doing her best to find creative solutions, including on a current project to build her own house.

That’s clearly an exciting time for any architect, but she’s not only concerned about the results for her but for her clients. “I’m hoping that doing my own house project will give me a lot more empathy for my clients and how they feel during their builds. I always try to be as approachable as possible and have a realistic grasp of what people are facing when they come to us – I understand that building a house can be one of the most important and expensive things people do in their lives so hopefully completing this process myself will mean I can better advise others in the future.”

Chartered Architect

FACTFILE

THE JOB

Designing new buildings or extensions or alterations to existing buildings, and advising on the restoration and conservation of old properties.

THE SKILLS

Creativity is important, as are good numeracy and science skills. Architects should be analytical and good at problem solving, as well as being excellent communicators who are able to work as part of a team.

THE QUALIFICATIONS

It’s a lengthy process to become a qualified chartered architect, which includes completing five years of undergraduate and postgraduate study recognised by the Architects Registration Board and two years of professional experience as a trainee architect or architect’s assistant.

I FIND IT A REAL POSITIVE THAT GUERNSEY IS SO ACCESSIBLE, WITH EASY CONNECTIVITY TO OTHER PROFESSIONALS IN THE INDUSTRY, WHETHER THAT’S PLANNING AND BUILDING CONTROL OR THE ENGINEERS AND CONSULTANTS.