06/01/2024
Happy New 2024 ! Hope everyone had a great break.
Iām now back at work after a decent break, tried to reduce social media use which was actually quite refreshing.
Thought Iād post a refresher re-introduction about me, hopefully this helps you understand a bit more, especially if we havenāt been connected for very long.
Iām a Chartered Architectural Technologist running a micro architectural practice in Sheffield, called Ikonografik Design. Originally from Bournemouth, I worked down south in Hampshire for a few years and then ended up in Sheffield [a tenuous link to Huddersfield where I studied in the 1990ās]. Thought Iād be here for about 2-3 years before moving on somewhere else but really like it here. Iāve been living and working in Sheffield for about 23 years now. The close proximity of the Peak District National Park is a big attraction for me + my wife is also from Sheffield, so Iām not going anywhere else soon, I hope. I love spending time with family and friends and also outdoors, mainly riding bikes in the countryside. I find nature stimulating and inspirational. Used to ride BMX then MTB, nowadays just on the road, less chance of serious injury and takes up less time. Steel bike frames rock, if you know you know!
Used to work in large practice on large multi million Ā£ schemes but after being made redundant twice in 2011, during a recession, I decided to set up my own architectural practice. I have over 25 years experience and Iāve made loads of mistakes and seen lots of change, Iāve learnt a lot from this and try to keep on learning new stuff. This meant I could stay in Sheffield and not have to put up with a crazy commute to larger cities elsewhere like London or Manchester. I work from home and I love it, the flexibility this provides with family life and other commitments works really well for me. This is something I want to continue as things progress. While remote working is not suited for everyone I think it can work really well if set up properly. I donāt spend all day at home working, Iām often out on site, meeting clients, viewing new potential jobs, collaborating with other members of the team such as contractors, engineers, designers and surveyors, networking and attending training events. Having regular real world contact with other people is important. I suppose this means my work profile is more hybrid than 100% remote.
The projects I work on are a mix of residential and commercial. Mostly residential with some small commercial. Much prefer smaller projects over the larger projects. Over the last few years Iāve worked on loads of extensions + conversions + an occasional new build house here and there. Building types such as private houses + residential schemes for property developers + doctors surgeries + funeral directors + an alcohol rehab charity + offices + shops + Pilates studios + coffee shops...
As a practice our approach is that we want to buck the trend against consumerism, changing fashions and ādisposable architectureā. Aiming for low impact, environmentally friendly, healthy, attractive, durable and low maintenance buildings that give joy and delight and that also stand the test of time. This approach is summarised as five vital parts ā People + Environment + Site + Materials + Durability. I also have a meticulous and obsessive attention to detail, want things to work optimally and also to look nice.
I soon found that running a profitable business requires a different skillset that I wasnāt taught at university. Iāve learnt a lot and Iām still learning. I recognise that I work too many hours at the moment but I am trying to put in place steps to adddress this. Watch this space to see what that means.
A big part of my identity is also my faith. I rarely post about this and some of you reading this might be surprised to hear this. Mainly because I believe politics and religion are topics to steer clear of in most conversations, especially social media, they can often divide people in lots of different ways. I try to be helpful when on social media but also neutral on such things. Anyway, I identify as a Christian, albeit with many flaws and mistakes made. I help out with a church in Sheffield called Pathway Church. Pathway Church is a bit different to churches that you might be used to. There is no weekly Sunday service, but instead meet in smaller groups scattered in different places to go deep and grow together. We do gather all together though at other times, but not every week. If you have opinions and questions perhaps donāt post about the wrongs and rights about faith but letās have an amicable conversation, you could even come down for a visit to find out more that way. See the link in the comments below. Regardless of what we believe I hope we can all have respect and dignity for each other, despite our differences. Hopefully what unites is much greater than what divides us.
There you have it friends, my little re-introduction. Keep an eye out for posts about architecture and buildings. Hopefully the posts will be helpful and inspirational !
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![Team Ikonografik [thatās like just me! š] are at the Build It Live show in Bicester tomorrow!Build It Live is the UKās m...](https://img3.contractors1000.com/567/152/1020457105671524.jpg)
