Congratulations on a new arrival!

Congratulations to our head of Urban Design Johnathan Headland and his wife Alex on the safe arrival of their third child Lark. Its typical of Johnathan, committed to work and at his desk until only a couple of hours before the birth, which happened all very quickly at home. Mum and baby are doing well by all accounts and we wish  Johnathan, Alex and new baby Lark every happiness.

INTREPID BAKERS RASHED AND MATT FEATURE IN LONDON FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE

Our two newly-weds Matt and Rashed have baked for this years Festival of Architecture ‘Bake Off’ selecting the Colour Palace at Dulwich for their cake creation. Swopping CAD for Cake during lockdown the two architects worked their magic  with three tiers of vanilla sponge incorporating hidden coloured sponge shapes to mirror the external appearance of the building, all then wrapped in bright buttercream icing. Columns of Rice Crispys support the main structure. An eye watering…

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Ellie in lockdown – with thanks to our wonderful receptionist and administrator.

It’s Friday and we are up early and ready to hit Tescos for our weekly shop. We are not only shopping for ourselves but an elderly gentleman in Long Wittenham. Its hard enough shopping for ourselves at the moment but when shopping for someone else its harder especially buying unknown goods for another. I look at Alex as the get-a-way driver and I am the robber – I’m the one that puts the mask on…

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Planning and the Covid Crisis

Nearly three months into the Covid -19 pandemic and the full impact of the construction and development slow down is beginning to be realised. Whilst construction sites are back in operation the availability of materials not previously pre-ordered or stockpiled is creating significant delays and cost pressures. Virtually every local planning authority is running (even further) behind in the determination of planning applications at a time when the economy needs every helping hand it can…

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REFLECTIONS ON HOME WORKING FROM NEWLY-WEDS MATT AND RASHED

‘Back in mid March ‘working from home’ protocols were established over-night in response to the current pandemic. We are in the unusual situation of being a newly-wed couple, who both work at the same practice and have also just moved in together. We joked that normally when people move in together there is an adjustment period yet we immediately entered lock-down and were spending 24/7 with each other… We are pleased to say though that we…

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REFLECTING ON HOW COVID 19 IS AFFECTING BUSINESS

As we enter our 5th week of ‘lockdown’ now seems a good time to reflect on how Covid 19 has impacted upon our business and the world in which we inhabit. Here are some personal thoughts. Working from home has become de rigour now – will we ever revert back to working in offices? After four weeks I have to say I miss the social interaction and the ability to bounce ideas off colleagues, to debate…

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Working from Home – an educators view by architect Ralph Saull

Looking after your wellbeing while working independently – learning from the adaptability of undergraduates   In addition to professional practice as an Architect with West Waddy, I teach architecture to first year undergraduates at Oxford Brookes university. The recent circumstances of home working brought about by social distancing, have given me time to reflect and act on the very advice I give to students as they navigate their first year of Architecture School. There are…

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Happy Birthday Johnathan !

Today we wish our super Urban Design associate Johnathan Headland a very Happy Birthday. So sorry we can eat cake with you in the office presently. Have a great day and hopefully a lovely sunny evening.

Working From Home Update

The West Waddy team are adapting to the challenge of Covid-19 through home working and video conferencing. Daily team updates  monitor project progress during this period of enforced lockdown. Access to high end CAD software is sometimes a challenge as the world and his dog cruise the internet and couped up kids stream their favourite videos and avoid the prying eyes of Men and Dad strangely at home together 24/7. Perhaps school children will begin…

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Welcome to our new blog

Welcome to this new social space to share a record of the social and personal side of the practice, alongside the formal news feed. The social isolation imposed as the world deals with the threat of Covid-19, has inspired new ways of working, and underlined the importance of staying in touch with one another. Over the coming weeks we aim to share stories, images, and news relating to the ongoing work by our fantastic team….

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