Emily Tunnacliffe
Apprentice Architect, Hugh Broughton Architects
Twenty-five year old Emily Tunnacliffe is based in South West London and is an apprentice at Hugh Broughton Architects, she is currently half way through her final 3 year masters degree and will qualify as an Architect in Jan 2023.
Emily’s GCSE’s and A’ levels were very science focused and she was initially keen to pursue career in medicine, but work experience at a local hospital helped her realise it wasn’t the path for her and that she wanted something more creative but that still required logical thinking. She researched job and university course options online that might suit her skills, using UCAS and other websites. Engineering and architecture courses caught her eye, appealing to her existing passion for design, buildings and spaces.
Emily inside the Dockyard Church Photo by Rikard Osterlund
Emily visited several university open days and was inspired to see the range of model making, design, and sustainability aspects and that it wasn’t just all about drawing, eventually securing a place at Bath University. Halfway through her undergraduate studies Architecture apprenticeship courses were introduced. Prior to this the 7-8 year length of study required had made courses impractical for many.
After an undergraduate architecture degree you need to secure a work placement. Emily applied to many practices before replying to an advert to work at Hugh Broughton Architects who offered her a 6 month placement. This was extended to encompass her Masters and she now attends London Southbank University for a day a week to do as part of her apprenticeship. Balancing the demands of her degree and a full-time job calls for great time management and organisation and a big commitment working evenings and weekends on University modules.
Emily says …
“There are so many different aspects to being an architect, you need to be imaginative, think logically and communicate well, its not all about drawing. Hugh Broughton Architects work on a lot of really interesting commissions including heritage and conservation projects as well as remarkable projects in extreme environments, like Antarctic research stations, so it’s a great place to work with lots of variety and a focus on sustainability which is really interesting for me”.
Emily Tunnacliffe Photo by Rikard Osterlund
Photo by Rikard Osterlund
Emily’s role on the Dockyard Church project is part of a big team effort and involves assisting the Project Architect Robert with drawings for planning, reports and tender packages for contractors and attending meetings and site visits. Working on this project is interesting, complex and just the right scale, she’s particularly looking forward to seeing a project through from concept to completion and the positive impact the restored church will have on people’s lives. The project will form a case study for her final qualification.
Emily advises young people interested in becoming in architect to get work experience early on and be interested in everything. “Try as many things as you can including computer-based design as well as drawing, visiting and researching buildings and spaces that inspire you, read lots, question things and just be curious!”