This month we're celebrating our Architectural Students, and their recent experiences and learnings with us here at Novum
Today we're hearing from Ben Leighton who has been been with Novum for 3 years while studying Architecture at UQ
I have had the pleasure of working at Novum since early 2018, in tandem with my Architectural studies at the University of Queensland. During the last 3 years, I have worked with a wide variety of clients and seen the theory that I am taught at UQ applied to real projects and positively influencing communities across the state.
In my time at Novum, I have been involved in numerous projects, each in a different stage of its life – from their beginnings as abstract concepts through to their construction and eventual occupation. Watching this process unfold has been an invaluable learning experience, unveiling the practical application of the methods and ideologies ingrained into me as an architectural student.
As well as an important source of learning, working in an operational practice has confirmed my desire to pursue a career in architecture and has exposed the many facets of the profession available to architectural graduates.
One project that I have been involved in that has particularly captured my interest has been the master-planning proposal undertaken for Toowoomba Grammar School. Despite the difficulties presented this year by COVID-19, we have completed a survey of TGS’ campus using an app that we have developed inhouse. This survey has allowed us to evaluate the school based on both their built environment and pedagogical effectiveness, with the aim of assisting the school in their future planning and development. This project has allowed me to explore multiple aspects of the architectural process, with time onsite paired with data-collecting and collation to develop a model of the school. In conjunction with an in-depth report, this model will allow TGS to undertake future building projects in the knowledge that they are facilitating growth in the areas of their campus that will benefit the most.
The TGS masterplan, alongside the variety of other projects that I have had the pleasure of working on at Novum, has given me the perfect canvas on which to develop my design and presentation skills, all while experiencing the reality of architectural practice. Every challenge and problem that I have faced has been a valuable learning experience and has allowed me to push my creative boundaries in the pursuit of efficient processes and client-centric design.
Ben Leighton
Architectural Student
