A conversation about success, the things that matter, and bringing disruption to architecture

MW – Diana, firstly huge congratulations. This year you won an RIBA Project Architect Award for your work on Font House, a project which also received two further RIBA Regional awards. What was it like to be the project’s lead architect?

DD – A big part of the success of this project was the engagement of the client, contractors and our team. The project had a remarkable setting – a Grade II listed walled garden on a country estate – and our client had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve. We were also lucky enough to work with a great local contractor WW Brown & Sons, a family-run business who were really interested in the low-energy aspect of the project. Another real positive was the teamwork within our practice. We were a relatively young practice at the beginning of the project, and, for me, the three awards we won are an acknowledgement of how well we all worked together on site.

MW – What are the lessons you have learnt from this

project which you will carry into your future projects?

DD – Engaging with the contractor and building a strong relationship with the client were crucial for good communication. We had to ensure we passed our knowledge onto the contractor and also listened to their advice in order to find solutions for the problems which inevitably arose on site. It’s really all about communication.

MW – That’s the sign of a good leader, someone who’s able to keep everyone working together as a team while giving people enough room to feel ownership of the project. I think this award is an acknowledgement of your leadership skills and your successful running of the project. In terms of the future for you Diana, where do you see yourself growing?

DD – Well the practice has grown a lot since we started on our Font House project. We have a third partner, Philip Shears who joined the practice earlier this year, who comes from a large practice. So we are really growing and looking at several new sectors of work. I will be growing my role within the practice and I’m looking forward to the new challenges. I hope to share my knowledge with the younger architects and taking on a small team of my own. I am grateful that I work for a practice which empowers you to lead projects. I recently went to one of your workshops, ‘Leadership for Small Practices’, which was a real eye-opener. With an RIBA Project Architect Award behind me, I feel ready to take on a leadership role within the Practice, and the workshop has helped me become aware of the qualities I can draw on to develop further. We don’t necessarily pick up these business and communication skills at architecture school, which is why the workshops you run at the Museum of Architecture are so useful.Has 2018 been a good year for you, and what developments have been successful?

MW – This year we launched the Directors’ Club, and its first year has been a great success for the

Far left: Diana Dina, Architect at Gluckman Smith

Left: Melissa Woolford, Director of the Museum of Architecture

It’s been an incredible year for both Diana Dina, an Architect and Certified Passivhaus Designer at Gluckman Smith, and Melissa Woolford, Founder and Director of the Museum of Architecture. Here they open up to each other about their successes, the things that matter to them and where they see architecture going in the years to come.

Newsletter, Issue 1 December 2018

Museum of Architecture. Quite a few of the same people were attending different workshops, and a feeling of camaraderie was starting to grow. So we thought, let’s form a Directors’ Club where more discussion can happen around what it’s like to run a practice and be a director – a space where people can share best practice and talk about current issues for the benefit of everyone.

DD – You’ve created this incredible business which empowers and supports architects. What inspired the Museum of Architecture and the work you do?

MW – I had just moved to London when I started working at Zaha Hadid’s office. I gained great practical experience and made a lot of friends, and it gave me a good three and a half years of insight into what it means to work in architecture and what the issues are. I had gone through six years of architecture school and had worked with amazing clients, but I could see what was missing. I noticed that a lot of my friends were leaving large practices to start their own companies, but they struggled with the basics of running a practice. In larger practices,

these skills aren’t shared with employees, and you can leave without an understanding of the business side of architecture. We hold a workshop every Thursday where we will focus on a specific subject, on the premises of ‘Architecture and…” such as HR, Marketing or Leadership. It’s sort of a pay as you go for training for the business of architecture.

DD – Does the Museum of Architecture offer any programmes specifically for women in architecture?

MW – We offer great support for all, but I’m very interested in how we can support parents. I’ve got two young kids, and there’s a daily struggle with balance.

DD – How do you cope with the balance?

MW – It’s hard, and you have to be very decisive. Just make a decision, and move onto the next thing. I’m keen on figuring out ways to support parents, and – on a related topic – we’re also expanding into family programming. We’re doing a huge re-think of how we can work with families and how that fits into our social mission of helping the public better engage with architecture. So there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. We are currently exhibiting our Gingerbread City exhibition at the V&A, using the format of gingerbread to get people to start asking, ‘What is architecture?’. We now have a pre-fab construction

Below: RIBA Award winning Font House by Gluckman Smith ArchitectsInterior design by Ann Boyd DesignsLandscape design by Rupert GolbyPhotography by Rachael Smith and Gluckman Smith

element, where the children have the opportunity to design the drawings, elevations and complete the candy-work details. We are discussing the fact that buildings can be temporary, raising new questions and getting people to think differently.

DD – It’s so important to be discussing sustainability, raising awareness and making it part of all our conversations. In construction, it’s such a big issue at the moment, and it needs to be introduced from the start of the design. We found great value in having conversations with contractors about sustainability on site. It’s about putting in the time to have the conversation to demystify the topic, so that they can realise sustainability is something they can easily

Above: Gingerbread City, exhibition at The V&A, curated by the Museum of Architecture

achieve. This will then hopefully enable them to take the same type of approach on other projects, which means it won’t be seen as a risk area which is then priced out.

MW – It needs to be something which is demanded by people, as opposed to something which is just nice to have. We also need to look at the role of architects within climate change and educate people about how their buildings can play a part. It’s one thing to have people understand the sustainable elements of a large development building, but what can we be doing on a smaller scale to incorporate some of these ideas into people’s homes? We need to be pushing it now so that people think, ‘I need to have that’.

DD – It’s really important to look at what happens after the building has been handed over. We have to

ask questions. Does the building work? Do we need to look at the design again?

MW – Post-occupancy evaluation is something I’m very passionate about. We can learn a lot from the people who live and work in our buildings, and it’s a way of increasing the engagement of the communities we’re designing for and better understanding their needs. For instance, in a planning meeting you might have people being very vocal about certain grievances because of lack of information. So how do we make sure that what we’re doing is actually suiting the people we are building it for? Post-occupancy evaluation is crucial.

DD – What advice would you give your younger self? I know this can be a difficult question, but it’s interesting to think about.

MW – In all honesty, I don’t think I would change a thing. It’s definitely been a winding road, but every diversion has taught me something and helped me get to where I am today.

DD – I would tell myself to really trust myself and believe in myself. There’s a bit of self-doubt at times. It’s finding a balance between saying to yourself, ‘Trust yourself, you’re good, keep going’, and having the skill to listen and absorb information from others.

MW – It’s about creating self-confidence which will enable you to become a successful problem-solver.

DD – Yes, solving problems is ultimately what drives me.

MW – It’s also crucial to have great personal skills, as you are having constant communication with a variety of different people, for different purposes. If it’s speaking with a contractor, a supplier, a client or even inside your office. DD – I would say that around 80% of my time is spent dealing with people.

MW – What made you become an architect? Did being good at solving problems play a part in your career choice?

DD – Architecture wasn’t my first choice. I was set on studying Economics and International Affairs. After a few long conversations with my sister, who was basically my career adviser, I realised that architecture had the combination of both technical and creative skills, and that would be something which would get me excited far into the future.

MW – That’s interesting because architecture wasn’t my original choice either. I originally wanted to be a History major, but it wasn’t leading to anything that I wanted to do. And I have a terrible memory, so I could never remember any of the dates.

DD – It seems that all your previous experiences have led you to creating the Museum of Architecture. How do you see it growing in the future?

MW – We’re now 12 years old, and I’m looking 12 years ahead to where we want to go. We have a very clear mission, we have programmes which are growing, and we have clients who are evolving with us. A permanent space is key for me because we will thrive on having a hub where we can run our own programming, curate our own projects and really engage with people. It will be forward-thinking and shake the traditional museum approach.We need to prepare for the wave of disruption when it inevitably hits architecture. That disruption needs to be architect-led, so let’s put our heads together so that we’re ready.

DD – It feels like there’s a data revolution which is happening in the industry. Let’s bring it on rather than wait passively.

MW – Well we have Fintech, Plantech, when is it going to be Archtech. It’s easy to put our head behind the computer, focus on the project and become introspective. But we have got to look outside of the industry, see what other people are doing and see the changes which are coming. The Museum of Architecture wants to be a part of that movement.

DD – This really leads back to our discussion about post-occupancy. If we have all of this data, can we use this to inform the design the building. This is something which should be on the agenda and keep us open to what the future of architecture will bring.

Written and produced by Alice Bulgin, Gluckman Smith Practice Manager

Gluckman SmithWebsite: www.gluckmansmith.comInstagram: Gluckman Smith Architects

Museum of Architecture Website: www.museumofarchitecture.orgInstagram: museumofarchitecture

RIBA Awards Page: https://www.architecture.com/awards-and-competitions-landing-page/awards/riba-region-al-awards/riba-east-midlands-award-winners/2018/font-house

With thanks to:Diana DinaMelissa WoodfordJuliette Mitchell