Architecture Portfolio

The project at Purley Infant School comprised a new two-storey classroom extension to the rear of the site, landscaping, and reconfiguring the existing layout. The school wanted to expand from infant only to full primary. As a small village school in the middle of a residential area, the planning process was complex and long, but permission was granted and construction began in February 2015.

Clare took on the role of Project Architect for the initial accommodation refurbishment, and for the masterplan. She worked under a director to develop the designs in close consultation with a client group, consisting of trustees, the CEO and associate CEO of Christian Conference Trust, the site manager, and the person responsible for the in-house construction team. This intense briefing period allowed the designs for the masterplan to progress quickly, with a final scheme presented to the full board of Trustees in July 2015.

Clare was involved in the early stages of the project; assisting with the planning application and writing the design and access statement. She also assisted in developing the design proposals, working alongside a director.

Clare was asked to run the project on site after Woodstock Road Baptist Church was completed. As Clare thoroughly enjoys this stage of a project, she was happy to do this and enjoyed gaining a better understanding of the project since Stage 3. The project had more consultants on board than Woodstock Road Baptist Church, which was a good experience for Clare. She enjoyed working with a team of people to answer questions, prepare the project for construction, and keep additional costs to a minimum.

Clare relishes the challenge of running a project on site, and her high levels of organisation help her to keep track of all the difference facets. She has good project management techniques in place to make sure no questions remain unanswered, and has recently used these to create office templates. She enjoys the administration side of this stage, and is confident in using a building contract to answer questions and resolve disputes.

Key Tasks:

• Assisting a Director for Stages 2 – 3
• Writing the Design and Access Statement
• Running the project from Stage 5 to completion
• Attending site meetings and answering queries from the Contractors
• Working with the Project Manager to make sure all deadlines are met and the project progressed smoothly