Over the last few months, the national interior design agency Overbury have run a competition for final year BA (Hons) Interior Architecture students at Leeds Beckett. Students were invited to design a new workspace for one of their clients, with a graduate job being awarded as the prize.

Final year student Lauren Hutchinson was selected as the winner, and will begin her role as a Junior Designer shortly. In this blog, she talks through what the competition involved.

Why did you choose to study Interior Architecture and what do you enjoy about your course? 

I chose this industry because I enjoy collaborating and working in teams as well as being part of interesting projects that directly affect people and the way they experience space. I enjoy so much about my course, the tutors have been amazing mentors and have taught me a great deal. 

I've really enjoyed learning to read and create technical drawings as well as learning about the history and human connection to existing buildings. It's important to respect the history of a space when repurposing existing buildings and incorporate that in some way. I like bringing these elements in conceptually!

Tell us about the Overbury design project – how did this come about and what did you have to do? 

The Overbury project was based on a brief with a current client of theirs to redesign Arup Leeds office into a great social and environmentally friendly workspace. It was a really amazing opportunity presented by the Overbury design team based in Manchester where we could win a 12-month design contract with them as well as plenty of room for growth within the company.

There were three main components to the process. Firstly, we visited the Overbury office in Manchester to gain some ideas and inspiration on how to develop an interesting office layout. We then took part in a mid-tender interview to gain guidance and present our initial ideas to the design team. Due to the nature of the brief as well as the client Arup being a sustainability titan in the industry, Overbury had an environmental specialist present to answer any sustainability queries to further our designs and consider future impacts. 

The final component was an in-person design pitch to a panel of people within Overbury. We had 45 minutes to express our ideas and concepts for the new workspace. 

What did your design involve?

Initially I began by researching the historical context surrounding the building (Wellington Place in Leeds city centre) and the strong transportation links to create a very accessible space for potential clients. I wanted to bring these historical elements into the building to present a strong identity for Arup, embracing the Leeds location. I did this through locally sourced materials such as Burmantofts tiles and steel elements to mimic the surrounding area and introduce the history into the new workspace. 

Arup pride themselves on having ‘honourable dealings’ and collaborating with transparency and openness. This was one of the key concepts I integrated into my design through glass elements as well as by folding doors allowing for areas to be joined together at a moment's notice. 

I also incorporated dividing terrarium walls throughout the office to give the workspace a relaxed and calming feel as well as giving the users areas to enjoy nature and feel as though they were outside for a moment. To push this further I developed small corners of the building for rain gardens that followed out onto small balcony spaces. I wanted to incorporate more sustainable elements by using rainwater as a resource to nurture the plants dotted around the balcony areas and creating small slices of natural havens.  

The overall scheme was a mashup of historical elements, interesting and innovative ideas as well as a calming and enjoyable space to work in on a daily basis. I felt like this was the best way to represent Arup as a company as well as incorporate elements from Overbury’s values into the project.

How have you benefited from taking part in the project? 

I have massively benefitted from taking part in this competition! I have been able to develop presenting skills as well as grow my portfolio to include a range of projects. I also developed multitasking skills by taking on another project through final year and many deadlines. It was also an amazing way to network and get your foot in the door.

What's next for you?

I'm very excited to begin my career with Overbury in August and develop my skills with amazing mentors and experts surrounding me in the office! I can't wait to gain as much knowledge as possible and learn from industry experts that will help me push myself and explore all things architecture and design!