Associate Nathalie Richardson and Senior Architect Karis Cochrane will be exhibiting as part of the Birmingham Architectural Association’s Celebrating Women in Architecture event in the Jewellery Quarter on March 4th.
Nathalie has been a qualified architect since 2012. Her Architecture career started at the University of Sheffield where she completed her Part I. She went on to work at Bryant Priest Newman from 2005 to 2008. Joining Associated Architects on a second placement, she completed her Part I at Birmingham City University part time. In 2012 she qualified as an Architect and in 2016 she was promoted to Associate.
Her work has been predominantly focused in the education sector and most notably her involvement with delivering schools through the Coventry Increasing Pupil Places, Birmingham and Stoke ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programmes was paramount. As well as being an Associate, Nathalie is a mother to two children and currently works part time. As a working mother she is known for having a productive work-life balance. Talking about her career Nathalie said:
“A career in architecture is very rewarding and maintaining a healthy work-family life balance whilst being in management is a challenge but possible. As well as the architectural side of my role I also love mentoring the younger members my team, helping them to grow as an architect and release their full potential.”
Karis began her architectural career in 2003 where she studied for her Part I at University of the West of England (studying Architecture and Planning), she graduated with a first class degree and won the student RIBA prize. Karis went on to study her Part II at Bath where she also won the continuing student award, and then qualified as an architect in 2013 from Birmingham City University.
During her studies she worked for a local practice in Bromsgrove for her Part I placement before moving to Make Architects. Karis was promoted to Senior Architect in 2017.
Karis has two young children and currently works part time. After starting her architectural career 17 years ago we asked Karis what being a woman in architecture meant to her:
“Working part time in commercial practice is difficult but hugely rewarding. It has driven home that everybody needs to achieve a sustainable work life balance that enables them to have a fulfilling, healthy, long life and career. I have become passionate about this being possible for all people through my working experience, particularly as being an architect becomes such a significant part of our identity. I love working in a large team on exciting projects.”
At Associated Architects Karis’s work has been predominantly focused within the education sector however one of her most accomplished projects to look back and reflect on is the Lapworth Museum of Geology.
