We speak to Architectural Technologist, Dannii Humphries about her career.

1. How long have you worked at France + Associates?
   
   I started work with France+Associates in January 2020.
   
   
2. What route did you take to become an Architectural Technologist?
   

   I made the decision to undertake an undergraduate degree with the University of Huddersfield, where I began studying Building Surveying BSc (Hons) in 2018. It was daunting undertaking a full time degree initially, as I will be the first in my family to complete a degree, and I was better at creative subjects at school when I was younger. The course appealed to me, due to it’s collaborative approach to teaching, with various disciplines within construction and design, teaching the three/four year course. My course is made up of a mixture of disciplines, including Building Surveying, Quantity Surveying, Construction Project Management and Architectural Technology, which I feel helps students to really understand how the industry works and how a lot of our roles and responsibilities overlap and support the process.

3. What made you want to be an Architectural Technologist?

   After my first year studying a mixture of subjects, including construction business, environmental science and services, digital technology, construction law and regulatory framework and introduction to architectural technology, I found myself especially drawn to computer design work. Due to the collaborative nature of the course, I was able to change my major to Architectural Technology after my first year, which was a better fit for me. There are many similarities between the work of Building Surveyors and Architectural Technologists, so the change felt natural to me.
   I have always been creative, organised and detail orientated, however lacked confidence to pursue my ambition to find a career working in a design role. I had a moment in 2016, when I decided that I needed to do something that made me happy and fulfilled and was naturally challenging. It was at that time that I started learning more about the world of construction and found myself drawn to the path that I later settled on. Although completely different to being a Medic in the RAF, I have found the ideal career in my pursuit to become an Architectural Technologist, at France + Associates, designing inclusive homes for our clients.
   
   
4. What did you do before you started to study?

   I left college at 18 after studying Uniformed Public Services which was a course well suited to me, as it focused on submitting assignments and coursework instead of tests. I went on to start full-time work in retail, where I became a shop floor manager at 19. I had always had an ambition to join the Military, as my grandparents served in the Navy and Army and always suggested it would suit me well as a career. I worked hard and joined the Royal Air Force June 2009 and went on to undertake almost a years training, to become a Medic. I was posted to various locations around the UK, as well as spending time in Kenya and the Falklands. I obtained the rank of Corporal after 4 years and subsequently left the RAF in 2018, after moving to Huddersfield to be closer to my husband’s family.

5. What has been your career highlight?
   

   The RAF gave me some amazing memories, my favourite to date is either doing safari in a Puma helicopter and following a Lion at sunrise in Kenya, or, being winched from a fishing vessel as part of a Search and Rescue exercise with my husband, who worked on the team.

   The best moment since starting my degree, is the feeling of ‘cracking’ computer programs and creating something from nothing.