Blog: Office Culture.
Office Culture: My First 6 Months at RKA
Having recently completed my first 6 months at RKA I wanted to write about the social and cultural aspects of working in an architectural design studio. I was offered a job as a Part 2 Architectural Assistant in April 2021 and have greatly enjoyed developing my understanding of the profession and the responsibilities we assume both individually and as a team; with the benefit of hindsight my experience could not have been more contradictory from my year out of uni / Part 1 industry placement in a large Central London office. The extra responsibility aside, the satisfaction of feeling like an integral, valued and appreciated part of the team has been the standout for me and it makes me want to do my utmost to meet client needs and take pride in what I do. RKA has felt like a warm and welcoming place to work making it easy for me to get up in the morning, prepared for a good day.
Over the last few months, Richard and his family have literally opened their doors to the team – our workspace is an office that is an integral part of the family home. Since my first day in the office, I’ve felt totally welcomed and enjoy working with what feels like a very considerate and close-knit team despite the obvious challenges of joining in the midst of a pandemic and during one of several lockdowns.
During the Summer we were treated to an office day out – not only was this the first time I was to meet some of the team in person but it was also Jorge’s first day having received his offer of employment earlier in the week. Kicking off at the newly built Larick Centre in Tayport, for breakfast and tour of the building, before we made our way to Dundee for a bit of go karting, dinner and finally drinks, it was a fantastic way to get to know the majority of the team – unfortunately, Suzanne and Rebecca residing in Manchester and Essex were unable to attend.
The day-to-day office life plays out in a very pleasant environment of course; the office that Richard designed within his home is a lovely space with a large window looking out to a small grassy area / dog park of a St. Andrews suburb. All of us are very welcome to use the kitchen and dining area and weather permitting and for most of the Summer we were also able to have lunch outside. Much to my and I think most of the teams enjoyment, there is an office pooch, Maddie the Labradoodle. She will approach you from time to time for a sniff, pet and scratch behind the ears that adds a different dimension to your standard working day. All in all, the office is a highly comfortable incubator for creativity.
Monday Morning Meetings and Friday Design Reviews provide us all an important opportunity to discuss together a specific design problem or a programme for progressing a project. This regular scheduled team engagement provides a great forum to promote idea generation, spark creative conversation and deal with inevitable problem solving, an environment that reminds me of university, not the box-ticking and rigid approach to architecture I had been exposed to previously.
Recently, Andrew, a Part 1 Architectural Assistant had to leave to embark on his Masters Degree at Dundee University. The Keating family hosted a BBQ for the team and at the same time introduced us to Fergus who would take on Andrews role within the team. Andrew made a very touching speech, thanking Richard and his family for making his Part 1 experience so welcoming and with this, it was very clear that RKA, despite being a small and new practice, has developed a positive and encouraging environment for its team that made work a positive and energising experience.
These words might seem a little gratuitous, as if I have been asked to write them, however what I have written is how I feel and is an honest reflection of my first 6 months post Masters employment with RKA. The purpose of writing this was to encourage anyone in the future who considers applying for a role at RKA that working here is an absolute pleasure and the atmosphere friendly and supportive. Personally, I was looking for an employer that would appreciate my strengths but most importantly support me as I develop, hopefully becoming a more confident and valuable member of the team every day.
RKA has provided not only this opportunity but so much more, giving me the time to grow with the practice, working closely with Richard and learning from his wealth of experience that is rare to find in Scotland. To Richard’s credit, he is taking his time to ensure he assembles a team with a broad range of skills that will provide a first-class design consultancy capable of working across a variety of projects from the Cairngorms to Croydon. I am proud to be part of that team and extremely excited to see where our combined efforts take us.
