Partnership for Greener Future
The development team at Longhurst
Group welcomed Diane Starkey, who graduated as a Part 2
Architect, for a unique two year post as part of a Knowledge
Transfer Partnership that will continue the strong relationship
between the University of Lincoln and Longhurst Group. The post
allows the Group to benefit from the experience and knowledge of
both Diane and the Centre for Sustainable Architecture and
Environments (CSAAE) at the University to help develop a new
generation of sustainable homes in a cost effective way.
Chosen from around 50 applicants for the role,
Diane stood out because of her practical experience. As part
of her course she spent a year working at an Architects’ practice
where she helped to design sustainable homes on a range of schemes,
both for private and social housing, with Sustainable Codes of 3
and 5 attained and some were even nominated for sustainability
awards. Her coursework also acquainted her with how a building’s
design features were used by its occupants and the way in which
neighbourhoods could be designed to allow them to thrive and
develop.
Throughout her degree, sustainability was a
prominent subject, “Sustainability is having a huge impact on the
way that buildings are designed and constructed, particularly
homes. I’ve always had an interest in the health and well-being
aspects of design, which looks at how occupants use a building and
its overall energy efficiency. With this programme’s focus on the
occupier, design and sustainability, it is a great way for me to
concentrate on an aspect of Architecture I am passionate
about.”
The two year programme has two areas of focus
for the development of sustainable homes and neighbourhoods. The
first will be to improve the efficiency and air tightness of new
homes through their design in order to reduce carbon emissions and
energy demands and limit the need for complex renewable
technologies. The second aims to create sustainable neighbourhoods
that can thrive and develop by avoiding potential for crime
hotspots such as back alleys and isolated homes.
As a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, the work
is part-funded and facilitated by the government as a way for
businesses and academics to improve knowledge, technology and
skills. For Diane this is a highly valuable experience, “The work
with the Knowledge Transfer Partnership is a great opportunity for
me to gain a lot of practical experience and develop my
professional skills before I go back to University and study to
become a Part 3 Chartered Architect."
Andy Patchitt, Development and New Business
Manager at Longhurst Group and Diane’s line manager at the company,
commented, “This collaboration is a great way for the CSAAE at
Lincoln and us at Longhurst Group to benefit from mutual expertise
and knowledge as well as offering Diane experience within a working
environment, extra training and access to new research. We are also
really looking forward to passing on the benefits of easy to manage
sustainable homes to our tenants.”