A ‘Year Out’ at BoonBrown
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As September rolls around, once again, so does the time for university enrolment and for both Taras and Grace, this means saying ‘Goodbye’ to BoonBrown. After completing their ‘year out in practice’, they have decided to return to university full-time to pursue their Master of Architecture and Part II qualifications at Manchester School of Architecture and the University of Westminster respectively.
The ‘year out’ as it is known in the architectural field, is a period of 12-months spent by Part I qualified architecture undergraduates in professional practice. Although not compulsory, to complete immediately, post-university, it has many benefits: the student can get a taste of the realities of working on live projects in the industry, have a chance to apply what they have learnt during the preceding years at university, and most importantly, continue their learning.
Previously, the path to qualification was quite prescriptive, with only the traditional route available. This comprised the year out in practice, followed by a master’s degree, a further year in professional practice, before then pursuing a Part III qualification via PGCert, completing a case study project, and then undertaking a professional interview. More recently, the apprenticeship route to qualification has been introduced, allowing students to be mentored in practice whilst attending university to obtain their Parts II and III. At BoonBrown, a number of our peers are currently pursuing this route, which you can read about here: https://boonbrown.com/architectural-apprenticeship-pathway/. The benefit is that with both options now available, the student now has the choice of which qualification pathway is best for them, and at this stage, Taras and Grace have decided that the traditional route is the right choice for them.
Tara’s Part I Experience at BoonBrown:
‘Joining BoonBrown as a Part I Architectural Assistant, I was worried I would spend the year creating door schedules and window details as many of my course mates had; I could not have been more wrong. From the outset, I was able to make meaningful contributions to projects; the office environment makes it conducive to ask questions, and I was never made to feel stupid for not knowing something. Coming from an arts degree background, my technical knowledge needed improvement, so to give me a platform to improve, the company held technical workshops and allowed me to work on working drawing packages alongside technicians. The practice also has in-house Town Planners and Landscape Architects, whom I was able to work with regularly and learn from – an opportunity not available at every practice.
All of these factors have made BoonBrown the perfect place for me to have spent my ‘year out’. Coming from university, I was convinced I wanted to work at a large-scale practice, however, on reflection, the medium-size of BoonBrown has really suited me. The practice is large enough that it has a varied portfolio of project types and scales, whilst being small enough that I have worked at almost all stages of the RIBA Plan of Work. This means that as a Part I, I have had a broad introduction to the industry, and through attending networking events and site visits, I gained experience in aspects of the industry that I otherwise would not have been exposed to at this stage in my career.
In my opinion, BoonBrown really benefits people with initiative who want to get the most out of their work, and for a Part I, I can look back on the past 18 months and see tangible evidence of how much I have progressed.’
Grace’s Part I Experience at BoonBrown:
‘After graduating from the University of Plymouth last academic year, with my Part I Architecture degree, I subsequently chose to pursue a Part I placement straight away. BoonBrown already being a practice I was somewhat familiar with, after completing work experience the previous summer. The prior exposure gave me a clear understanding of what could be expected, and the collaborative office environment fostered a productive and innovative working culture, where questions were encouraged and positively received, and ideas made, valued. I was fully immersed in projects from the beginning, from preparing design and planning applications, to technical design and handover.
BoonBrown’s commitment to personal development was evident throughout my year in practice. I engaged in internal technical and planning workshops, and was also able to attend a public consultation, which further advanced my understanding of the planning system and policies integral to the practice’s daily operations. This mixture of professions, including Landscape Architects, promoted a dynamic, multi-disciplinary approach to projects, enriching my learning and broadening my perspective on architectural practice.
My ‘year out’ has enabled me to become more confident in affirming that returning to university full-time is the right path for me, with a renewed sense of assurance across a wide range of areas and experience. Reflecting on my time at BoonBrown, I can see the progression that I have made, which I will ultimately be able to apply to my Masters of Architecture degree.’