Daniel Collins established PolkeyCollins Associates with Clive Polkey in 2012, after working together at a national commercial practice. During this time, he worked as a respected Architect to lead various projects across several sectors. Here, FC&A talks to Daniel to learn more about his industry experience and path to forming the Lincoln-based architecture practice.

Chris White has been with CPMG Architects for the past 18 years and became an Owner and Board Director in 2016. As the lead for CPMG’s London studio, he is delivering the strategic vision for growth, with a key focus on residential, commercial and aviation projects.

Ben McKenna started out studying interior architecture at Brighton. From there, he joined a small practice that worked in sensitive locations in rural Kent and Sussex. Ben’s work here was focused on listed building alterations and rural housing. With a desire to expand on what he’d learnt working at a small practice, Ben joined Conran and Partners to work largely on estate regeneration and residential projects in London and the South East. Having recently joined DMWR Architects, Ben talks to us about his time at Conran and Partners and runs through a few of his favourite designs.

Niralee Casson came to architecture slightly later than most, having already achieved a degree in law before deciding to make the switch. With her student loan already used up, she undertook all of her architectural education on a part-time basis whilst working full-time at Assael Architecture; in 2018, she was finishing her Part 2, starting her Part 3 and working all simultaneously. Here, we talk to Niralee about her switch from law to architecture.

After studying architecture at Robert Gordon’s in Aberdeen, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and The Royal College of Art in London, David Kirkland undertook his first practical year out at Nicholas Grimshaw’s practice in London, where he ended up staying for 18 years. Since 2000, he has run his own practice – Kirkland Fraser Moor. Here, FC&A talks to David about his career and finds out when his passion for architecture began.

Product testing and certification is high on the construction industry agenda, particularly in relation to fire protection. Giving specifiers the ability to design with confidence, product certification delivers assurances that the solution has been proven to perform as expected in the event of a fire.

Since graduating from the Welsh School of Architecture in 2002, which included a year out in practice working for Travis McEwen Group (now Architectus) in Sydney, Australia, Gareth Woodfin started his UK professional career at Capita.

With the rise of home working and virtual meetings, the way we work and interact with our colleagues, customers and suppliers has changed dramatically over the last year. We may still need to keep our distance, but as Andrew Cooper – National Specification Manager for aluminium fenestration solutions manufacturer Senior Architectural Systems – explains, close collaboration within the supply chain has never been more important.

Before Myles Taylor first stepped into an architectural office, he was ushered to work on site as a labourer by his step-father – a Property Surveyor who thought that if Myles was going to design buildings, then he should know how they fit together first. Here, FC&A finds out how Myles went from learning on site to starting his own architectural practice and discovers just what he learnt along the way.

The Grenfell Tower tragedy exposed fundamental and deep-rooted issues over competency, highlighting major skills and knowledge gaps amongst those responsible for the design, construction, maintenance and day-to-day operation of buildings. In this article, Jonathan O’Neill OBE, Managing Director of the Fire Protection Association (FPA), explores whether the issue of competency has become clearer since Grenfell, and argues that a greater degree of focus must be placed on fire safety competence and accountability for those responsible for building design.

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Future Constructor & Architect is a specification platform for architects and building contractors, which focuses on top-end domestic and commercial developments.

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