By
Rebecca Stevens
ECE@10 Profiles – Patrick Ambridge
As part of our 10 year birthday celebrations we will be profiling one of our amazing team each month.
Who better for our first profile than Patrick, who joined ECE in 2011 as our very first Part 1 Architectural Assistant. Fast forward 10 years and today he is one of our key Senior Architects based in the London studio.
Patrick has extensive experience in the education sector, working closely with school stakeholders and the design team to ensure the schools aspirations are met within the context of budget, programme and site constraints. Working on a number of highly complex school and college projects with many site constraints, Patrick is able to approach each design with a solid understanding of all these factors which can be coordinated to develop a successful project.
What inspires you as an Architect?
I tend to be inspired by other Architects work and I find social media a really useful tool to explore a wide variety of great projects which helps to influence the work I produce. I enjoy exploring buildings and spaces, taking note of the design and the detail that has gone into them. I think it’s great to go on Study Trips and look at Architecture from different cities and cultures too.
Are you inspired by a particular Architect?
Hans Scharoun, he was a German Architect famous for designing the Berliner Philharmonie Concert Hall in Berlin. I like the way he would use light and materials to play with the scale of spaces. I wrote my dissertation on his work so he is a big influence.
Which project makes you proud?
I am most proud of Wren School which was a brand new build six-form entry free school with sports hall in Reading as this was the first project I got to work on right through from feasibility to completion. I started working as part of the design team when I was studying my Part 2 and picked the project back up at construction stage. I’m proud to say I ran the project on site whilst studying my Part 3 level.
What do you think is key to designing a successful scheme?
Early client engagement is fundamental to a successful scheme, as well as good understanding of the site you’re working on to deliver the best outcome and value for the client and end user.
What has been the highlight of your career?
Qualifying as an Architect, I got the call to tell me I had qualified while I was boarding the plane to go on a Study Trip with ECE so it was great to celebrate with everyone!
You’re at a restaurant, what do you order?
It has got to be a nice aged ribeye steak with chips, rare of course.
When do you feel most relaxed?
While enjoying some good food and wine at a restaurant or manning the BBQ on a hot summers day with a beer in hand.
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